This coming Friday (2 October) is Bord Bia's National Potato Day 2020. I don't know about you, but I love a good spud.

In fact, potatoes are one of my favourite ingredients - both to eat and cook with.

Their starchy texture makes them great for baking with or thickening soups, stews and curries, but their flavour - whether fried, mashed or baked - is everything you want in a food: comforting, satisfying and oh-so-delicious.

For its #nationalpotatoday campaign, Bord Bia will be sharing lots of recipes, videos and ideas on its social media streams.

It is also encouraging you to share your own potato recipes or recreate theirs using the #NationalPotatoDay hashtag.

I, personally, never pass down an opportunity to cook with potatoes, so I'm sharing one of my favourite potato recipes which isn't just quick to prepare - it's really family-friendly: classic potato latkes.

My kids love helping make these crispy, salty and delicious potato pancakes.

Latkes are Jewish in origin and are typically made around the eight-day-long holiday of Hanukkah, so while they are delicious and fun snacks to make, they are also a culturally significant dish for those who practise Judaisim.

This recipe is very basic; only five ingredients that you likely already have in the fridge and cupboard. Latkes are usually served with either sour cream, applesauce or a combination of both, making them an ideal autumn or winter dish.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes (use Roosters or Ballymakenny Mayan Golds), peeled and cut into quarters

1 medium-sized onion, cut into quarters

2 Tbsp plain flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

1 large egg

1 cup sunflower or vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

1 Using a food processor with the grating attachment (or using a box grater), coarsely grate the potato and onion. Add the grated potato and onion to a bowl lined with a clean dish towel.

2 Wring out the dish towel to remove the liquid in the onion and potato - you want the grated mixture as dry as possible. Discard the liquid and place the dry, grated potato and onion into another clean mixing bowl.

3 To the grated potato and onion, add the egg, plain flour, salt and pepper. Mix well.

4 In a large skillet on medium-high heat, add the sunflower or vegetable oil and heat to approximately 180C. When the oil is hot, add heaping tablespoons of the potato mixture, lightly spreading and flattening out into the shape of a pancake as you go.

5 Cook the latkes in the hot oil until dark, golden brown on both sides and the potato is cooked through. This takes around five minutes per side, so make sure your oil isn't too hot or the outside will be cooked before the insides.

6 Drain the cooked latkes on a plate lined with paper towel and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

7 Serve hot with sour cream, apple sauce and fresh chopped chives.

* You can freeze cooked latkes for up to one month; or for a lower-fat version you can sear them in a hot pan before baking in a 200C oven.

* Cold latkes can be reheated and enjoyed for up to three days.