Potato kugel is a hearty potato casserole dish with a crispy baked top, kind of like a hash brown cake. With onions, egg, and light seasoning, it’s the best easy recipe to satisfy your need for a warm, comforting meal.
Kugel is a baked casserole, which can be sweet kugel or savory. It is a Jewish dish, served in Ashkenazi Jewish households on special occasions such as Yom Kippur or Rosh Hashanah.
Baked in cast iron, nothing beats the crunch and crackle married with a tender inside!
🌟Why you’ll love this recipe
🧾Ingredients in this recipe
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🍳How to Make This Recipe
Start by pre-heating your oven to 450F. Place the cast iron pan inside the oven and heat it up for 10 minutes.
To begin prepping the ingredients, peel and shred your potatoes and onions. I use a food processor to make this step faster.
Use a tea towel, cheesecloth, or even just your hands, squeeze as much of the liquid out of your potatoes as you possibly can, and discard the remaining liquid.
Next, mix the grated russet potatoes, grated onion, potato starch, salt, pepper, eggs and oil in a bowl.
Transfer the potato kugel mixture to the the heated cast iron pan. Be careful, the pan is hot!
Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture down into the cast iron pan to compact it. Then, pour the boiling water over the top and immediately place it in the oven.
Pro Tip
Adding the boiling water to the pan just as it enters the oven to help properly steam and cook the potatoes for the perfect, fluffy texture inside.
Bake the potato kugel at 450F for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 425F and bake for another 35 minutes.
The final step is to set your oven to broil, and broil the potato kugel until it has browned on top. This should take about 3 minutes. Let it rest for 20 minutes before cutting and serving.
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Cast-Iron Potato Kugel
Print Recipe SaveEquipment
- Cast Iron Pan 10-inch
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. russet potatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 tbsp potato starch
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450F. Heat the cast iron pan for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, peel and shred the potatoes and onion. I use a food processor, but you can do this with a coarse grater.
- Squeeze as much of the liquid out of the potatoes as you can and discard the liquid.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (except the water) to the potatoes and onion in a bowl. Transfer to the heated cast iron pan. Press the mixture down to compact it. Pour over the boiling water just as you place it in the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature to 425F and bake for another 35 minutes.
- Then turn the broiler on high and broil until browned on top. This should take about 3 minutes.
- Rest the kugel for 20 minutes before cutting into it and serving.
Hello- Can I use a 14inch cast iron? if so, what do you recommend the ration to be with potato and water? I have 26 guests 🙂
You should be able to double the recipe if using a 14″ cast iron. You will need to cook the kugel for longer, so keep your eyes on it. That’s a big group… have fun!
Our son was recently requesting hash browns to go with dinner and that’s pretty much all he would want to eat on the plate. Well instead, I made him this kugel which I feel no guilt about making into the entire meal. So delicious and we love the crunch.
This kugel is such a fun addition to brunch on the weekends! We have been making it often this year, but especially last weekend for Hanukkah. It’s like a giant hash brown that the entire family fan share.
So glad you enjoy this recipe, Ellen! I’ve served it like a hash brown, too, topped with cream cheese, lox, and capers. Happy Hannukah!
Great idea
Thank you!