Potato Kugel Klein

Potato kugel is almost nothing like it's noodle alternative.  It is more of a casserole, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its place at the Passover table.  I made it as my second vegetarian side for my Seder.

This recipe had loads of onions and potatoes.  What recipe can go wrong when you have onions and potatoes?  I used one GIANT onion to get 5 cups.

Instead of using the fresh herbs or dill, I used dried herbs de provence.  They contain most of the same herbs and worked great.

Again, this recipe shouldn't be served with meat if you're being strictly Kosher.  We served meat at my Seder, but it was a very loose interpretation of the rules. At least I didn't serve any bread!

I also made this a day before, and kept it in the fridge until I was ready to bake it.  Making food ahead of time helped me keep a low stress level on the day of the meal.

I really enjoyed this recipe! I never thought I liked potato kugel (I'm partial to the noodle version) but this was fluffy and delightful.  It was super easy to make and enjoyed by all!

Potato Kugel Klein
from my mom's friend Suzie, who got it from Gourmet, Sept 1996
Serves 12-18

Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter or margarine
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh marjoram
5 cups chopped onion
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp dried dill
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
2 1/4 cups sour cream
1/2 cup matzo meal
3 russet (baking) potatoes, peeled (about 1/2 lbs)

Instructions
In a large, heavy skillet heat 4 tbsp butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and cook herbs 3 minutes. Add onions and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes, or until softened. Add mushrooms, dill, remaining 3 tbsp butter, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.

In a bowl, stir together eggs, sour cream, and matzo and let mixture stand.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 13- by 9-inch baking dish.

Under running water coarsely grate potatoes into a colander. Squeeze excess water from potatoes and drain 2 minutes. Stir potatoes and onion mixture into matzo meal mixture. Spoon mixture into dish.

(At this point, you can cover and let sit in the refrigerator up to 12 hours, as long as the potatoes are drained well)

Bake in middle of oven 50 minutes or until golden.

Chicken Paprikash

I'm sure you've been feeling a lot of suspense, wondering what I ate with the German Red Cabbage.  Finally, here is your answer.  Chicken Paprikash!

Until this week, I had never heard of Chicken Paprikash.  Apparently, it is a Hungarian dish, which makes sense given that good paprika always comes from Hungary.

I was surprised that the chicken is only seasoned with salt.  If I made it again, I'd probably season it with paprika, cayenne, and ground pepper before I browned it.  There was still plenty of flavor from the sauce, but I think it would have made it that much more flavorful.

Overall, this was a pretty easy dish to make as well.  Once the chicken is brown and the onions are caramelized, I could just let it cook low and slow for a half hour or so.  With the cabbage this was a great meal to serve to a guest because I could still chat and not have to think about staying on top of my food to make sure it didn't burn or another step was needed.  When I make Asian foods I find that I have to pay so much attention that I'm running around the kitchen, leaving a mess in my trail - but with this I even had time to clean as I went!

The flavor of this chicken was fantastic. I think I could have kicked up the spice (which seasoning with cayenne before browning would have helped with) and also could have cooked it for a little bit less time (they were a little dryer than I like).  I served it with spätzle, which I bought at World Market.  Of course, the day after I bought it, Deb at Smitten Kitchen posted a spätzle recipe - so next time I will make my own! 

Chicken Paprikash

from Simply Recipes

Yield: 3-4

Ingredients:

2 to 2 1/2 pounds of chicken pieces, I used skin-on, bone-in breast

Salt

2-3 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 pounds yellow onions, (about 2-3 large onions)

Black pepper to taste

2 Tbsp sweet paprika, preferably Hungarian

1 teaspoon (or to taste), hot paprika or cayenne

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions:

Salt the chicken pieces well and let them sit at room temperature while you cut the onions. Slice the onions lengthwise (top to root).

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and melt the butter. When the butter is hot, pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and place them skin-side down in the pan. Let the chicken pieces cook 4-5 minutes on one side, until well browned, then turn them over and let them cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. (Take care when turning so as not to tear the skin if any is sticking to the pan.) Remove the chicken from the pan to a bowl, set aside.

Add the sliced onions to the sauté pan and cook them, stirring occasionally, scraping up the browned bits from the chicken, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.

Add the paprika and some black pepper to the onions and stir to combine. Let cook a minute more. Add the chicken broth, again scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and then nestle the chicken pieces into the pan, on top of the onions. Cover and cook on a low simmer for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken pieces). When the chicken is cooked through (at least 165° if you use a thermometer, or if the juices run clear, not pink when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife) remove the pan from the heat. (If you want, you can also keep cooking the chicken until it begins to fall off the bone, which may take another 30 minutes or so.)

When the chicken is done to your taste, remove the chicken from the pan. Allow the pan to cool for a minute and then slowly stir in the sour cream and add salt to taste. If the sour cream cools the sauce too much, turn the heat back on just enough to warm it through. Add the chicken back to the pan and coat with the sauce.

Serve with spätzle, dumplings, rice, egg noodles or potatoes. (If cooking gluten-free, serve with rice, potatoes or gluten-free noodles or dumplings.)