Potato Kugel Cups

There is nothing that signals the arrival of spring more than a bunch of kugel cups. Which, in fact, spring has finally sprung in Minnesota even though I was witness to one very negative omen that had me believing that spring would never, ever arrive. A robin was half dead in the middle of the highway attempting to flutter off the middle of the road with one weak wing to save its sad little life. Obviously, a very clear signal that spring would never bring its buds. As that was my first robin siting which you see, on my mom's side of the family, is a very big deal because the person who sees the first robin and calls it into my grandma is the mighty winner of one dollar. Very exciting, but I wasn't about to phone in a half dead robin because I didn't want to admit to that sad robin being here as it was on its way to death's door. And I did not want spring to head the same way, but spring did head that way and brought snow mid-April which is pure ridiculousness. I digress, let's not ruminate on snow in April. Spring is here and its brought kugel cups. 

And chicken eggs. Of all glorious colors. You can get some here.

Commence Potato Bombardment:

Are you bombarded?

If you would like to excersice your pectorals while making this recipe go ahead and whip out the box grater. Not a fan of the box grater? Grab your food processor and use the shredding attachment. But I find the box grater so therapeutic. Shredding therapy. It's a thing.

I didn't soak the potatoes in water to prevent browning and I kept the skin on. If you don't want the potatoes to turn brown you need to plunge them into very cold water immediately after you shred them. Before you stir the potatoes into the eggs, olive oil and seasonings you'll need to squeeze the shreds dry in a kitchen towel. Now who has time for that? And, I swear, they taste the same. 

Serve these little cups of crisp as a side to steak or as a breakfast hash brown. They reheat fabulously which lends itself nicely to a make-ahead meal. They are crispy on the outside and moist and lovely inside. 

Tell me. Do you make kugel? What kind?

Printable Recipe Here

Potato Kugel Cups
recipe adapted from joyofkosher.com

6 large russet potatoes, skin on
1 large onion
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place un-greased muffin tin in oven to heat up while preparing kugel mixture. 

Using a box grater, grate the potatoes and onions; dump into a large bowl. Add eggs, 1/2 cup olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix well. 

Once your muffin tin has preheated for about 15 minutes, remove hot pan from oven and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil into each cup. Now scoop kugel mixture into hot, greased muffin tin.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the tops look dark brown and crispy around the edges. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool on the countertop for a couple minutes. Loosen edges with a sharp knife,  unmold and place on platter to serve.

To reheat, place kugels on a cookie sheet and tent with tin foil. Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes or until warmed through.