Potato Kugel!

I'm reposting this recipe, as it's one I make almost every single week. For those of you who think we are boring eating potato kugel every week - we're not! Our house is hopping! And we are innovative, and try out new things all the time! We just happen to associate the taste of a perfect potato kugel with a happy Shabbat, so we make it, time and again.

THIS is the perfect Potato Kugel recipe. I guarantee it will be a hit!

Enjoy!

Potato Kugel

about 1.5 kg of potatoes (8-10 medium size) - I use the lightest skinned ones I can find here, in the States, I used Yukon Gold. -- scrubbed clean, not peeled.
1 large onion
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
.5 - 1.5 T. salt (please adjust to your preference!)
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C)

Scrub the potatoes.

Fit your food processor with the bottom blade AND the shredding disk. In mine, this means that my end result will be partially pureed and partially shredded. If yours works differently -- use the shredding disk, then change to the bottom blade and puree about 1/3 of the potato/onion mixture.


In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil and seasonings together.

Feed your food processor the onion first, then the potatoes. My bowl isn't big enough, so I do this half at a time, including half an onion with each batch. the pureed onion helps keep the potatoes from oxidizing.



Add the onion and potato mixture to the egg and oil mixture. Mix well to combine.


Pour into a DEEP pan. The trick to this potato kugel is its depth. It does NOT work in a shallow pan. I use a lasagna size disposable pan because I haven't managed to fully stock my kitchen with all the baking pans I want.

Edited to add: I use a foil pan that is 32cm X 26 cm according to the label on the package (5.5 mm depth). Hope that helps!



Place kugel in hot oven. After 25-30 min, lower the temp to 350 F (175 C), and bake for another 30-40 min. Watch to make sure you don't burn the top.

And that is it.
No peeling, no draining, no straining, no adding in just the right amount of starch... 

AND it's perfect for all year round, including Pesach!

Please let me know if you try it. I'd love to hear what you think!

Delicious but easy Potato Kugel (GF, Kosher for Pesach too)

I used to be totally put off by the idea of making potato kugel.

All those instructions. Peel. Drain. Do this special trick. And that one. It seemed like such a huge time investment.

And it was too much for me.

You've probably figured out that I am probably the laziest cook ever, which is why I serve my family roasted vegetables all the time! But I make potato kugel. (Even though it has eggs!)

And now, I will share my method. Several of my recent guests have requested this, so here goes:


Potato Kugel

8-10 potatoes (medium size) - I use the lightest skinned ones I can find here, in the States, I used Yukon Gold. -- scrubbed clean, not peeled.
1 large onion
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)
.5 - 1.5 T. salt (I modified this after some feedback that some people found the original amount too salty, please adjust to your preference!)
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C)

Scrub the potatoes.

Fit your food processor with the bottom blade AND the shredding disk. In mine, this means that my end result will be partially pureed and partially shredded. If yours works differently -- use the shredding disk, then change to the bottom blade and puree about 1/3 of the potato/onion mixture.


In a large bowl, beat the eggs, oil and seasonings together.

Feed your food processor the onion first, then the potatoes. My bowl isn't big enough, so I do this half at a time, including half an onion with each batch. the pureed onion helps keep the potatoes from oxidizing.

 









Add the onion and potato mixture to the egg and oil mixture. Mix well to combine.










 
Pour into a DEEP pan. The trick to this potato kugel is its depth. It does NOT work in a shallow pan. I use a lasagna size disposable pan because I haven't managed to fully stock my kitchen with all the baking pans I want.







Place kugel in hot oven. After 25-30 min, lower the temp to 350 F (175 C), and bake for another 30-40 min. Watch to make sure you don't burn the top.

And that is it.
No peeling, no draining, no straining, no adding in just the right amount of starch... 

AND it's perfect for all year round, including Pesach!

Please let me know if you try it. I'd love to hear what you think!

Shabbat Parashat Chukat, July 1-2, 2011

This is my 100th post! What a milestone! Thanks for following my adventures and sharing in my quest for frugal food in Israel!

This Shabbat I am serving the leftovers from the birthday dinner for Friday night, but I'll make some General Tso's Chicken to go with it, instead of the vegetarian version we had the other night. This plan was ok'd by the family - I know it's unconventional to have leftovers on Shabbat, but I wouldn't want the food to go to waste!

For lunch we'll have:

Breaded, oven-"fried" chicken

Make your own salad (lettuce, roasted red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, diced carrots, cucumbers, and whatever else I find around)

Roasted Zucchini with olive oil, salt, and pepper - this is delish served cold!

Potato Kugel

Chocolate cake for dessert (the kids made a big cake recipe for my hubby's birthday)

Seudah shlishit note:

I do very informal seudah shlishit usually. The leftover challah and whatever salads, chummus, peanut butter, jelly, etc are around. no fussing...

Shabbat Parshat Sh'lach

We've been sick, as well as busy, as well as sweltering hot.
I'm trying to work out a menu that will not require any time over a hot stove (although I'm willing to run the oven. The architect who designed this house put a little alcove off the kitchen where the oven is, so I can shut that part off from the rest of the house, open up the window in there and the heat doesn't come into where we are!)

Here's the plan:

Salatim (vegetarian liver, chumous, various other salads)

Chicken in ? sauce

Southwestern style Pasta salad (to be served at lunch) - I'll cook ONE pot of pasta on the stove, at night, Thurs night.

Make-your-own-salad (we have lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers)


Rice with mushrooms (oven baked) (for Friday night)


Oven-Roasted Butternut Squash (found a sale - 2.99 NIS/kilo - much lower than what I usually see)

Oven-roasted Kishuim with olive oil, salt and pepper (also, 2.99 NIS/kilo sale)

Potato Kugel


Carrot Kugel from freezer

Popsicles, watermelon, and other fruit for dessert


Gazpacho and whatever I pull together for seudah shlishit

Wish me luck getting it all done!

Shabbat Shalom! Feel free to share your menus and deals...

Shabbat Parashat T'tzaveh (Feb. 11-12, 2011)

I have been pretty under the weather this week, and I am raiding my freezer for Shabbat, although I am making fresh chicken (my family likes it SOO much better fresh!), potato kugel (using up those potatoes before they sprout!) and fresh soup.

Here's what we're having:

Vegetable Soup

heat olive oil in soup pot, and saute onions, garlic, celery, thinly sliced carrots, and any other soup-worthy vegetables you have on hand. lower the heat and simmer for about 10 min. Add water or soup stock, herbs, spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 30 min. I usually simmer for 1 hr or longer. This helps develop a hearty flavor! (serve with kneidlach - not happening this week! - or soup nuts or lokshen)


Oven-"Fried" chicken

Lightly spray a baking sheet or roasting pan with olive oil.
Coat chicken pieces with a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup and pepper (I sometimes use ground black pepper, sometimes cayenne pepper). Then dip in breading mixture of your choice (I use either crushed cornflakes seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder and parsley, or a mixture of corn meal and whole wheat flour or wheat bran with those same seasonings, but you can use whatever breading you prefer!). Place on pan, cover loosely with foil - shiny side down and bake at 375 F until chicken is fully cooked. you can uncover it for the last 10-15 min. to brown the tops better. (I use a convection oven and I find that it browns well enough with the foil on and cooking the chicken covered keeps in more of the moisture...)


Potato Kugel  

I use a very simple recipe with the following ingredients: potatoes, onions, eggs, oil, salt, pepper. sorry I can't give out proportions. I just make it up as I go along.

From the freezer:
Carrot kugel, Toasted Barley, Tofu something, Brownies and whatever other goodies I find in there on Friday!

I'll probably throw together a simple salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers; and if I'm really feeling energetic I'll make a soup or stew in the crock pot so we can have something hot for lunch.

What are you making for Shabbat?