Recipe by Chantzy Weinstein

Basic Potato Kugel

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Parve Parve
Easy Easy
6 Servings
Allergens

Contains

- Egg

Ingredients

Potato Kugel

  • 3/4 teaspoon Pereg Black Pepper

  • 8 jumbo Idaho potatoes, peeled (jumbo potatoes are easier to peel than the 5-pound bag of small ones)

  • 1/2 cup boiling water

Directions

1.

Place onion into a food processor fitted with the S blade and blend on the highest setting until completely smooth, like baby food. You may have to stop the machine once or twice to scrape down the sides to get all those little pieces well blended.

2.

Add eggs, oil, salt and pepper. Process five to seven seconds, just enough to mix well. Don’t overblend at this point or the kugel will have a gummy texture. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.

3.

Change the blade to the kugel blade and add potatoes (you may need to slice potatoes in half lengthwise to fit into the chute). Process on medium speed (8 on the Braun). Transfer potatoes to the mixing bowl and mix with egg/onion mixture by hand.

4.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 foil pan generously with oil spray; this is a very important step that will keep the kugel from sticking to the sides. Pour the kugel mixture into the pan and place kugel onto a foil-lined cookie sheet to prevent oil splatters.

5.

If serving the potato kugel the same day, pour boiling water over the top right before placing into the oven to create a super-crispy crust. (If serving the next day or freezing for later, don’t add the water just yet.)

6.

Bake uncovered for one hour, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another 30 minutes.

Tips:

For Yom Tov, especially Pesach, I love to make kugel in the slow cooker. I start the process 18 hours before it’s time to serve (perfect for long Yom Tov afternoons, or as a self-serve station at your Erev Shabbos to’ameha). Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray (a plastic liner could make cleanup easier but you will miss out on the awesome crust that forms on the sides) and pour your kugel batter (minus the water) right in. Cook on high for five hours and then switch to low for as long as needed till serving (the longer the better).

Here’s another tip. Slice a package of vacuum-packed pastrami into little bits and add to kugel batter before cooking. The smoky flavor takes it to the next level!

Notes:

For overnight kugel, bake uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour, then cover, reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake overnight.

To prepare for Shabbos the day before, skip the boiling water and bake uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour on Thursday, then let cool and refrigerate. On Friday, pour boiling water over kugel, then bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

To prepare for freezing, and still get that perfect, tastes-like-it-was-just-made crispy kugel, skip the boiling water and bake uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Then let cool, wrap tightly, and freeze. To reheat, defrost potato kugel until either partially or fully defrosted. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then pour boiling water over kugel and bake uncovered for 45 minutes. You’ll be shocked at how amazing the results are! Try it once and you’ll be freezing kugels all the time to make your Shabbos prep that much easier.
Basic Potato Kugel

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