Alison Roman's Potato Kugel

Happy day after Easter, y'all! Truthfully, I have never really celebrated Easter, except for the occasional Easter egg hunt here and there when I was young. I wasn't raised in a religious household, so it's just another Sunday for me, but, with that said, I think it's fun to see what people's family traditions are.

I've been stalking Alison Roman's Instagram like any other happy and normal millennial, and I loved her Passover Menu. Her use of pantry staples and her cooking flexibility is something that I am very drawn to, and I think that she has a nice way of looking at hosting, cooking for loved ones, and to find love and joy in even cooking for yourself. As Alison says, "Please know going in that the dishes here are inspired by tradition, not bound to it." I think this sums up how I feel about cooking as a whole; you can take what you want through tradition, but still make something your own, which I love. 

Alison's recipe can be found on the New York Times website here.

Ingredients:

4 pounds russet potatoes (about 5-7 potatoes), peeled
1 large yellow onion
6 large eggs
10 tablespoons butter (instead of Schmaltz)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions, for serving
Flaky sea salt, for serving

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Using a box grater or cheese grater or the shredding attachment on the food processor, grate the potatoes and onion into a colander fitted inside a large bowl (or in the sink).

2. Using your hands and working with a bit at a time, squeeze a much water from the potatoes and onions as humanly possible and transfer the dry potatoes to a large bowl. For added insurance, you can also do this with a tea towel, which is what we did.

3. Add eggs and 6 tablespoons butter, and season with salt and plenty of pepper, mixing well. Heat another 2 tablespoons fat in a 9 or 10 inch skillet, but the kugel will be slightly taller in a 9 inch. Delicately place the potato mixture into the skillet, taking care not to pack it in tightly (you want to keep the kugel light and airy).

4. Cook the potatoes, rotating the skillet occasionally to promote even browning, until it' golden brown on the edges and up the sides, 10 to 12 minutes.

5. Drizzle the top of the potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and place in the oven. Bake until the top of the kugel is deeply golden brown, the edges are wispy and crispy, and the potatoes are completely and totally tender and cooked through, 50-60 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and top with more pepper, green onion, and flaky sea salt. Slice and serve warm.