You can debate the merits of Chrismukkah stockings and Adam Sandler songs, but there’s one thing everyone agrees on when the Festival of Lights rolls around: The joy of eating lots and lots of latkes.

Especially this year, when celebrations are on the smaller side, you can take your time grating and frying those russets — or Idahos? Go on, debate — to crispy, golden perfection. Or keep your kitchen grease-free by ordering them from Bay Area Jewish delis like Oakland Kosher Foods, Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen and The Marvelous Matzah Experiment in Sunnyvale. They are offering entire Hanukkah meals, too, from matzoh ball soup to brisket and sufganiyot.

But it is that humble potato pancake that defines the holiday, which begins Dec. 10. In her 2019 cookbook, “Kosher Style: Over 100 Jewish Recipes for the Modern Cook,” author Amy Rosen calls potato latkes “the greatest singular recipe” in the Jewish repertoire. In her version, topped with sour cream and applesauce, latkes are “as traditional as recipes come,” but when adapted with modern and global flavors, they are also “a path to the future.”

Rosen was likely envisioning Evan Bloom’s DIY latke bars. At home in non-COVID years, the Wise Sons Deli co-founder hosted Hanukkah dinners with build-your-own latkes featuring smoked fish salad, pickled red onions and other tasty toppings. Bloom, who recently opened a Wise Sons Deli in downtown Oakland, has also been know to jazz up latke batter with everything from chopped kimchi to garam masala.

“There are eight days of Hanukkah, and I’m not going to eat them plain everyday,” he says.

Add one more egg to his Latkes for All Eight Nights recipe and cook the results in a well-oiled waffle maker for the perfect holiday Sunday brunch, topped with soft-scrambled eggs, chives and smoked salmon.

Bloom’s recipe, which is featured in the 2020 cookbook “Eat Something” that he co-authored with Rachel Levin, calls for grated russets, onion, eggs and potato starch, instead of flour, for a “crisper, more potato-y” latke. That also makes it naturally gluten-free.

This year, knowing celebrations will be smaller, the deli is offering latkes by the half-dozen ($20) as well as Hanukkah take-out meals for four ($150) at the Oakland and San Francisco locations and at 11 first-time December pop ups across the Bay Area, from Los Gatos to Fremont and Danville.

“We’re trying to get as far out into the Bay Area as possible this year,” Bloom says. “Maybe you want to make your own brisket, but buy the latkes. We want to make it easy for people.”

Oakland Kosher Foods is making it extra easy this year by offering latkes in two sizes: A mini 2-to-3-incher and a larger 3-to-4-inch version. They are made with Yukon gold potatoes, served with applesauce and available for pickup the first week of December at the Lakeshore Avenue shop, which recently expanded its hummus bar and New York-style deli.

“We moved the deli up to the new part of the store and opened up a wall, so we have lines for shawarma and hummus bowls most days now,” says co-owner Gary Freeman, who says he sells more than 700 latkes every Hanukkah. “Hopefully it’ll be the same for the latkes this year.”

The Marvelous Matzah Experiment, an offshoot of JW Catering in Sunnyvale, is offering its potato pancakes in just about every way: Frozen, as a batter for frying at home, or hot and ready to eat. “We want to make sure they travel well, which is why we came up with a three-tier plan,” says JW founder Jeffrey Weinberg. “There’s something for everyone.”

Weinberg launched the Jewish deli concept back in January, and the housemade pastrami, matzoh ball soup and braised brisket, named after his mother Mitzi, were instant hits. When the pandemic struck, Weinberg turned his catering kitchen into a walk-up for takeout, and has since added three more concepts: Toasty Melt, Gorgeous Grits and The Lockdown Limited Luncheon. He’s dubbed the four-in-one ghost kitchen the Casper Restaurant Group.

“When we wrote the menus we knew there’d be items we could cross-utilize,” he says. “We continue to pivot and pivot.”

For his first Hanukkah as The Marvelous Matzah Experiment, it is the latkes that Weinberg is most excited about. He’s offering a traditional version made with russets as well as gluten-free Sweet Potato Latkes, which are made using rice flour. Make them yourself or order them as part of Weinberg’s full Hanukkah dinner ($32 per person), which includes slow-roasted brisket, sweet cheese blintzes, apple sufganiyah and more.

For weary parents who lack time, but still need a kid-friendly Hanukkah cooking project? Weinberg’s Fast and Dirty Latkes, made with frozen shredded potatoes, should do the trick. Defrost 16 ounces of hash browns and add two cups grated onions, two eggs, one cup of Bisquick, salt and pepper. Combine and let sit 15 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid out. Fry away.

“If it’s the difference between a kid not having homemade latkes on Hanukkah, these are pretty good,” he says. “Bisquick is a great trick.”