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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Make Jamie Geller's potato kugel cups by baking the potato-and-onion batter in six heated, well-oiled glass ramekins or custard cups at 425 degrees, rather than a classic deep-dish casserole. The method relies on soaking peeled potatoes in water, mixing in eggs early, and pouring in hot oil just before baking to get a crunchy exterior and creamy interior.
Key Points
- The glass cups, heated and greased with extra-virgin olive oil, are what create the crunchy exterior; Jamie notes this means no one has to fight over the coveted crunchy corner.
- Soaking peeled potatoes in water and adding the eggs early prevents browning and keeps the potatoes white and creamy.
- The speaker says her early attempt in a flat pan came out thick, rubbery, and brown, which is why she stresses these steps.
- Texture is a family debate: the speaker grew up with mushy kugel, her husband with stringy, so she alternates or makes half and half.
- Potato kugel freezes well, so the speaker often doubles or triples the batch and prepares potatoes a day ahead.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Use six 4- to 6-ounce glass ramekins or custard cups, and grease them liberally with extra-virgin olive oil (no canola oil).
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees while preparing the batter.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat with three-quarters of a cup of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Whisk three eggs and season with two teaspoons of kosher salt and about half a teaspoon of black pepper (the speaker switched from white pepper).
- Peel the potatoes and keep them in a bowl of water to prevent oxidation and browning.
- Grate the onions and potatoes in a food processor fitted with the shoestring blade.
- Add the eggs to the potato mixture, then add the hot oil and wait for it to sizzle.
- Quickly fill the heated, greased cups, pack them well, and bake at 425 degrees.
- Once cool enough to handle, loosen the edges with a butter knife and the kugel pops out.
- For make-ahead, peel potatoes, refrigerate overnight, and bake the next day.
- The speaker notes that the kugel freezes well and that she often makes 12 to 18 pounds of potatoes at once.
- The speaker recommends avoiding canola oil in favor of extra-virgin olive oil.
Bottom Line
Individual glass cups with hot, well-oiled glass and a water-soaked, egg-coated potato mixture are the speaker's method for crunchy, creamy kugel without the rubbery texture of a casserole.
