Florence Leff’s Potato Kugel
TIME/SERVINGS
Makes: 6 servings
By Jim Leff
The following is my mom’s version, passed on by her mother, Minnie Rosenkranz, who hailed from Shnyaten (actually, one doesn’t “hail” from a place like Shnyaten so much as flee from there). Shnyaten (rhymes with “rotten”) is a small town near Bukovina that’s been volleyed between several countries since my grandmother left (at that time, it was “part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire,” as she was wont to sniff). To read sociohistorical background on that time and place, check out the classic Memoirs of an Anti-Semite: A Novel in Five Stories, by Gregor von Rezzori. To taste it, cook the following.
- 6 medium russet potatoes
- 1 small onion (or 1/2 medium Onion:onion), peeled, stem end trimmed
- 3 eggs, well beaten
- 4 tablespoons corn oil
- 2 tablespoons matzoh meal (or flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Heat oven to 375°F. Peel potatoes and submerge them in a pot of cold water.
- Grate potatoes and onions through the small holes of a box grater (or electric meat grinder—do not use a food processor).
- Place potato mixture in a clean, lint-free dishtowel and squeeze out liquid (stop squeezing when water begins to drip rather than stream).
- Place potato mixture in a large bowl; stir in the eggs, oil, matzoh meal, baking powder, and salt. Season with freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
- Transfer to a lightly oiled 11-by-7-inch glass or Pyrex baking dish. Bake for one hour or until well browned.
Note: Leftovers are good cold or reheated, but after a couple of days, crumble up the remaining kugel and cook it with scrambled eggs.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
What do I think? I think that this sounds like a great recipe for potato kugel! It reminds me of the days when women actually grated foods instead of popping them out of the freezer. I can't wait to try it and thank you for posting it, Jim!
It sounds amazing, and easier than making latkes, which I love. But I wish Jim could answer one question: Why would it be so bad to use a food processor for the grating? Works great for latkes. And I admit the thought of grating the potatoes on the small side of a box grater will probably deter me from trying this.
Jim
I recently made Boxty, an Irish Potato dish, gosh, I can't remember why though.
Anyway, the technique is very similar except for one addition. The squeezed out liquid was allow to sit for ten minutes. Then carefully poured off revealing snowy, white potato starch which gets added in to the spuds.
I don't want to mess with Minnies recipe, but... is it worth investigating?