Editor’s Note: The recipe is from the cookbook ‘Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine,’ by Jewfolk Food Podcaster Micah Siva. The recipe is used with her permission.
Potato kugel is comfort food at its finest. Kugels, at their core, are baked casseroles. This potato kugel casserole is crisp and golden on the outside and creamy on the inside. It reminds me of a shareable hash brown or a giant latke, and it’s served at any time of day (try leftovers at breakfast—really!). Using a preheated cast-iron pan ensures that the kugel is cooked to golden perfection, with everyone getting the best part—the crispy edges! Top your kugel with labneh, sour cream, crème fraiche, or coconut yogurt with chives. Serve with eggs for a breakfast dish or alongside your meal.
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium yellow onions, cut into ½-inch pieces
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
2 pounds (3 or 4) russet potatoes
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup matzo meal
Sour cream, coconut yogurt, crème fraîche, or labneh, for serving, optional
Fresh chives, chopped, for serving
Directions
In a 9-inch cast-iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot but not smoking. Add the chopped onions, spreading them evenly over the bottom of the pan. Decrease the heat to medium-low and let cook, undisturbed, for approximately 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the onions with ½ teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and broken down, 30 to 45 minutes. Once golden and caramelized, transfer the onions to a large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the cast-iron pan and place it in the oven to heat up while you prepare the potatoes.
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Using a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, or a box grater on the largest hole, grate the potatoes. The potatoes will oxidize, so be sure to shred right before use.
Add the potatoes to the bowl of ice water. Let sit for 10 minutes to remove excess starch.
Drain the potatoes, transfer them to a clean kitchen towel, and wring out any excess liquid. The more liquid you can remove, the better! Add the potatoes to the bowl with the caramelized onions.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, eggs, pepper, and matzo meal and stir to combine.
Carefully remove the cast-iron pan from the oven and spread the potato mixture in the pan, pushing it down to compact the potatoes. It should sizzle on contact with the pan. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 1 hour, or until deep golden brown on top.
Serve with sour cream and chopped chives.
Note:
Prepare this kugel up to 4 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Variation:
Add ½ cup chopped parsley to the kugel along with the matzo meal.
Substitution:
This recipe uses russet potatoes, but you can use Idaho potatoes instead.
