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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Make a classic potato kugel in a hot, oiled glass pan, using red-skinned potatoes and a food processor, for a crunchy bottom and golden top. The method combines shredded potatoes and onion with eggs, pepper, and hot olive oil, then bakes it until deeply browned. The video presents this as a tested, crowd-pleasing side dish.
Key Points
- Glass pan plus hot oil is the key to the crunchy bottom and sides, because the mixture sizzles when it hits the pan.
- Red-skinned potatoes are used because they stay creamy inside and hold up well when grated.
- Soaking peeled potatoes in cold water prevents oxidation, so they stay white rather than browning.
- Processing onion first keeps it from browning at the bottom of the mixture.
- The recipe appears in Jamie Geller's book Quick and Kosher Recipes from the Bride Who Knew Nothing, which also features individual potato kugel cups, though here she demonstrates the classic pan version.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Oil a glass pan and place it in the oven to heat. Peel the potatoes, cut them lengthwise to fit the food processor feed tube, and keep them in a bowl of cold water until processing. Use six large red-skinned potatoes and one large onion. Rinse the onion thoroughly, trim the stem end, and peel the outer layers. Whisk three eggs (check for blood spots) with coarse black pepper. Heat about three-quarters of a cup of olive oil over medium-low heat on the stove. Fit the food processor with the shoestring blade, or a finer blade for a finer kugel. Process the onion first, then the potatoes, then the eggs, then add the hot oil and pull everything together quickly. Remove the hot oiled pan from the oven, pour in the mixture so it sizzles, flatten and even it out, and return it to the oven. Bake for about an hour, until the top is golden brown and the sides are crunchy.
- Pick out any large unprocessed pieces, but take care because the oil is hot.
- The speaker suggests pairing it with a Chardonnay from Carmel.
Bottom Line
A glass pan, very hot oil, and red-skinned potatoes processed quickly are what give this kugel its crisp edges and creamy interior.
