Passover-Friendly Potato Kugel Recipe

Potato kugel is a recipe that's long been associated with the Jewish holiday of Passover since, unlike noodle kugel, it does not contain any chametz, or forbidden ingredients (most noodles are made with durum wheat and are thus verboten during the Passover season). This potato kugel is something developer Catherine Brookes says it is "quite a classic recipe," and she describes it as having "a moreish flavor and texture." She also notes, "I love that it's all baked into one big batch and uses simple store cupboard ingredients." This kugel makes a great savory side for either a dairy or meat Passover entrée, even if you keep kosher year-round, as all of the ingredients are pareve.

Even if you don't eat kosher or aren't preparing this dish for Passover, it's a hearty option that works well on any dinner table. You can count on your oven to handle most of the heavy-lifting in cooking this dish, so you can turn your attention to preparing other foods or simply kick back and relax.

To make the kugel, you'll need just 7 ingredients. In addition to the potatoes, you'll need an onion and some eggs, plus salt and pepper for seasoning and olive oil and potato starch to help bind everything together.

Preheat the oven to 400 F, then peel the potatoes and the onion. Once all of the vegetables are peeled, you will then need to grate them. The grated potatoes will also need to be soaked in a bowl of water for 2 minutes. "Soaking the potato in water," Brookes explains, "helps to remove some of the excess starch to give a crispier result, as well as preventing discoloration." When the 2 minutes are up, drain the potatoes and squeeze out all of the excess water.

Mix the grated potatoes and onion, then beat the eggs with the salt, pepper, and oil. Add the eggs to the vegetables, then stir in the potato starch until everything comes together. Spread the mixture into a pan of about 13x9 inches in size. Brookes tells us that the pan she uses measures 12x8 inches, but assures us that the more standard 13x9 size will work just as well.

Before the kugel goes into the oven, take a spoon or spatula and smooth out the top, then spray it with cooking oil or brush it with a very light coating of olive oil. According to Brookes, "This helps the top layer to brown nicely and crisp up."

Bake the kugel for an hour to an hour and 10 minutes. Once it's done, the top layer should be a deep golden brown in color. At this point, the kugel ready to serve, although if you're having it with a meat-free meal, you may want to dollop on some sour cream.