When many people hear “kugel,” visions of a sweet egg noodle casserole first come to mind, delighting many and confusing others. Savory potato kugel, however, is almost universally pleasing. Landing in between a latke and a Spanish tortilla in flavor and texture, potato kugel is, like all kugels, a baked casserole common in the Ashkenazi Jewish culinary tradition. Filled with grated potato, onion, and egg, it’s a no-brainer side dish for high holidays, like Rosh Hashanah and Passover, or weekly shabbat, but it’s welcome on the table any day alongside meaty mains such as braised brisket or roast chicken.
Where latke mixture must be squeezed extremely dry to fry into crisp pancakes, potato kugel’s creamy texture comes from leaving some of that liquid in the mix. Using mayonnaise in the filling—and to grease the pan—instead of traditional schmaltz or olive oil helps ensure the kugel bakes off moist, rich, and crisp—never dry or greasy. Fat wedges of potato kugel are excellent topped with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped chives (but, of course, if you’re keeping kosher and serving meat alongside, you’ll want skip the dairy).
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours
Yield
10–12 servings
Ingredients
4
3
1
3¼
3
3
1
1
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Brush bottom and sides of a 9"-diameter springform pan, metal cake pan, or cast-iron skillet with 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise. (If using a springform pan, place a baking sheet underneath rack to catch any drips.) Fill a medium bowl with water. Peel 3 lb. russet potatoes (about 4 large) and quarter; place in bowl of water. Quarter 1 medium onion. Using a food processor fitted with a coarse grating disk, grate potatoes and onion. (Alternatively, grate on the large holes of a box grater.)
Step 2
Transfer potato mixture to a large colander or fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and toss to combine. Let sit 5 minutes to allow excess liquid to drain.
Step 3
Using your hands, press out more liquid from potato mixture (it should not be totally dry). Transfer colander to a plate. Gently pour out liquid from bowl, leaving behind any white starch accumulated at the bottom.
Step 4
Add 3 large eggs, 3 Tbsp. potato starch or cornstarch, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper, remaining ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise, and remaining 2¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt to starch left in bowl and whisk to combine. Add potato mixture and mix with your hands to coat completely in egg mixture. Scrape into prepared pan and move around with a fork to fill pan and create some surface texture without compressing mixture.
Step 5
Bake kugel until set in the center and golden brown on top, 65–75 minutes. Run an offset spatula or a butter knife around edges of pan to loosen. Let cool 5 minutes, then remove sides from pan or turn out kugel and transfer to a plate. (If using a skillet, you can slice and serve in the pan if desired.) Let kugel cool another 10 minutes, then slice into wedges and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired.