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The Ultimate Potato Kugel

Published on 34 Comments on The Ultimate Potato Kugel

cooking-with-tantrums-potato-kugel2

I'm just going to assume you've tasted potato kugel and think you know what it's all about. You don't.

It has nothing to do with that sad, overlooked, eggy, oil-dripping brown mush they serve at catered Shabbos lunches. Good potato kugel is an experience, actually. A delightful experience. Even before it's ready, the aroma fills the house and pulls everyone into the kitchen with smiles because they know. That smell can only mean one thing and they want a taste. Immediately.

Those who know, know the best bite is right when it comes out of the oven. Totally worth burning the roof of your mouth, if you ask me. It's crispy on the outside and mushy on the inside and just oh so wonderful. It's perfectly balanced and perfectly seasoned. It's like a warm hug for your stomach and your soul. And I'm not exaggerating. When done right, potato kugel is the ultimate comfort food.

My mom is the original potato kugel maker in our family. I never even realized how good I had it growing up until I tried to make kugel on my own. It wasn't a warm hug. It didn't warrant burning the roof of my mouth. The problem was that my mom didn't measure anything. She eyeballed it each week and each week she made kugel magic. It didn't quite work out that way for me. I spent about two years watching her and measuring and experimenting until I finally made my own magic. Worth every second.

See.. the thing is, each oven is different. The recipe states that it needs to bake uncovered for two hours at 450°F. If your oven is too hot though, and you see it's already quite brown after just an hour, lower the temp to 350°F for the remaining hour. Lowering the temperature is fine, just make sure it bakes the full two hours. That's non-negotiable. Also, who are we kidding? Everyone makes it in a disposable 9x13" pan. Including me. Every week. I'm not even going to pretend otherwise.

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The only question left to ask yourself is what's your favorite piece? The Hubb and I are die-hard crust people. The Jester is strictly a "middle piece" kinda guy (he actually hands over the top crust too. I'm convinced it's why we still keep him around.) The kugel in the photo was cut that way just for him! Dimples has his moods, I stopped trying to guess. Her Highness doesn't discriminate. The one thing everyone agrees on is that there's gotta be kugel every week.. or else..

The recipe calls for two types of food processor blades to be used, the S blade and the Kugel blade. The reason I process the onion with the S blade is so that my picky kids don't get any noticeable pieces of onion in their mouth. Heaven forbid. We all know that would deem this dish inedible for the remainder of their lives and we simply can't have that. The Kugel blade is essential to achieve the perfect kugel texture. I'm thinking that might be why it's called a Kugel blade, but that's just a wild guess. You can use the Kugel blade for both, the onions and the potatoes, if you don't mind sneaky onion bits and you do mind washing dishes. And if you don't have the Kugel blade, you should get one. But in the meantime you can use a shredder blade. The texture will be different but your kugel will still be delicious. Working quickly will ensure a white kugel. This is not the time to dawdle or pay attention to your kids. The boo-boo kissing can wait. The kugel can not.

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The Ultimate Potato Kugel
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 5 lbs potatoes, peeled
  • 1 large onion
  • 5 eggs
  • ¾ cup oil
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • Black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 450°F
  2. Process the onion using the S blade of your food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl midway to make sure it is finely pureed. Switch to the Kugel blade and process the potatoes. No need to empty the bowl in between onion and potatoes.
  3. Working quickly, crack the eggs into a bowl large enough to hold all the batter. Add the oil and seasonings and mix well. Add the processed potatoes and onion and mix until uniform. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan and bake uncovered for 2 hours.

 

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34 thoughts on “The Ultimate Potato Kugel”

  1. Estelle

    Which food processor has a kugel blade. I have a cuisinart and I am pretty sure it does not come with one, but mine is 27 years old and a lot can change in that amount of time. Can't wait to try it!!

    1. cookingwithtantrums Post author

      Hi Estelle! The Braun food processor comes with the Kugel blade. Many Cuisinart models have been recently recalled so now might be a great time to make the switch.

      1. Zelda

        To my knowledge, it is not the Cuisinart machines that have been recalled; only the S blade if it was riveted. It can create unnecessary concern and expense to say the food processors were recalled.

  2. Ellen felder

    What kind of food processor do you use I always do it by hand ?? ready to get someone else to do it so want to buy the right one. Also what is the s blade and the kugel blade. Would love to try make it for Shabbos. Thanks so much.

    1. cookingwithtantrums Post author

      Hi Ellen! I use a Braun food processor and it comes with both blades and more. The S blade has two curved blades that come out of the sides and is generally used to pulverize or puree. The curved blades look like an S, hence the name. The Kugel blade looks like holes were punched straight through the metal.

        1. cookingwithtantrums Post author

          I can't share a picture here but the S blade and Kugel blade come standard with the Braun food processor. If you Google search Braun food processor specifications, you should be able to view the different blades.

      2. Ruth Okon

        I shred the potatoes & then process some with the s blade for texture.
        I suggest you get the pampered chef brownie pan and then you get lots of crusty pieces ( which are THE ONLY KIND OF KUGEL TO EAT) and you can make those other pieces in a a 9x9

      3. Ellen felder

        Thanks for the response. Since I've never had a food processor silly question are there different braun models??

  3. Naomi Hazan

    For anyone who doesnt have a kugel blade (including me) what has worked for me is shredding the potatoes with the shredder and then taking the shredded potatoes and running them thru the shredder a second time... its a great consistency! G'luck!

    1. cookingwithtantrums Post author

      A Kugel blade looks as though holes are punched straight through the metal. The holes somewhat resemble stars.

  8. Leah

    Your recite looks great. I have a different recipe and I'm the kugel lady around here too lol.

    Here's a great tip for getting a beautiful white kugel every single time. I got it from a friend many years ago and has never ever failed.

    Desolve just a little bit of vitamin c powder in a little bit of water and add to the batter. The acid keeps the potatoes white and because it's just a little but it doesn't impact the taste at all. Enjoy!

  11. shani

    How many potatoes is 5lb? If im using 6 potatoes is the rest of the measurements the same??

  14. Chani

    Your Kugel looks amazing. I wanted to know what kind of potatoes you use, russet, red, Yukon gold. I just want it to be "worth burning my mouth." 🙂 I looked back to see if this answer was given before bothering you but couldn't find one.
    Thanks

    1. cookingwithtantrums Post author

      I personally use russet. I've burned my mouth on it many time over the years and it's always been worth it.

  15. Debra Magerman

    I'm trying your recipe for the first time. The kugel has been in the oven already about an hour and a half and it looks done. Does it really need 2 hours?

    1. cookingwithtantrums Post author

      Yes, lower the temp to 350 if you wish but keep it in the oven the full 2 hours.

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