You put a Jewish mother on Chopped, in a drama-filled Holiday episode, and what is she going to make? Oh yeah, you know…Latkes. That’s potato pancakes. And she (meaning me) doesn’t just make a regular, blue/gray, greasy, half raw hockey puck of a latke. No. She makes the world’s best, fluffiest one ever, using a method that had the judges and Ted Allen saying “what is she doing throwing all that stuff in a blender?”

So, this could be somewhat overblown, you are thinking. The woman has allowed all the adrenaline from being on TV go to her head and inflate her culinary ego. This may or may not be true, (but think about it…I have a teenage daughter and a 24 year-old son who cooks in a 3-Michelin star restaurant, so can’t you imagine that I’m pretty much kept in my place?) Still, I stand behind my claim: these will be the best potato pancakes you have ever made, and possibly tasted. And they will be the easiest. By far. No grating. No squeezing the grated potato in cheesecloth or a dishtowel, no racing against the clock to get them cooked before they turn 50 shades of grey. No half raw or over burnt strands of potato. Just big, fluffy, moist, flavorful, golden latkes. And they can be made ahead and reheated and they will still be wonderful. For at least 8 days. It’s a true Hanukah miracle!

In honor of Hanukah, (starting tomorrow), this recipe and it’s awesomeness, I present to you this fun, short video of my latke-making process. Shot and edited by a talented young videographer, Emily Julka, in my messy home kitchen (I could have fixed my hair a bit, in hindsight, too).

And so you don’t have to scribble down the recipe from the video, get it from here instead.