Potato pancakes are the signature dish for Hanukkah because they are fried in oil, and dishes fried in oil represent the miracle of the holiday. As the story goes, when there was only a small container of oil enough to light the temple for only one day, the oil lasted for eight days.
After many attempts to find a shortcut to peeling and grating the potatoes, I discovered a no-fail technique. Instead of grating the potatoes and onions, I puree the eggs and onions (or scallions) in the food processor until fluffy, and then pulse in the unpeeled potato chunks until they resemble finely grated potatoes. You'll also use the food processor to mix the batter.
