Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of each of the vegetables - potatoes, beets, carrots and zucchini - separately from one another.

I like to place each veggie, one at a time, in a colander and use my hands to press down as hard as possible, draining away any liquid. Then use either a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels to wring each vegetable dry over the sink. You might have to change towels or paper towels a couple of times to get them really dry. Don’t skip this step; it helps the latkes be as crisp as possible.

Divide dried grated potatoes into three bowls. Add dried, grated beets to one bowl, carrots to another and zucchini to the last. Season well with salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs well in a small bowl, then whisk in the flour until well blended. Divide egg mixture, by eye, amongst the three bowls and combine each vegetable mixture very well. The egg mixture should coat the veggies evenly.

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Place a rack on a half-sheet baking pan and set aside. Also, have several layers of paper towels near the stove to receive the pancakes as they emerge from the oil.

Heat about 2 inches (5 cm) of vegetable oil in a heavy straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat (do not use nonstick). Drop a few shreds of potato in the oil; they should sizzle. If you want to use a deep-fry thermometer, the oil should be about 350°F/180°C.

Use a 1/4 cup (60 ml) measuring cup to scoop up any of the mixtures. Drop mound in oil and immediately press down firmly with a spatula. The latkes should be about 3 inches (7.5 cm) across. The number you can cook at a time depends on the size of skillet; do not crowd them in the oil. Typically 3 or 4 at a time is a good number to keep track of.

Fry until golden browned and crisped on the bottom, about 2 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. Flip the pancakes over and cook on the second side until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels, then place on the prepared rack and keep warm in the oven as you fry the remaining latkes. Serve as soon as possible, with an optional sprinkle of additional salt and optional sour cream, if desired (in which case they will no longer be dairy-free).