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Potato Kugel

A baked potato and onion casserole with eggs, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Potato Kugel

12–14
Oven425°F (220°C)
Time1 hour

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

  2. Peel potatoes, cut into chunks, and place them in a food processor. Process potatoes until smooth.

  3. Peel onion, cut into chunks, and place it in a food processor. Process onion until smooth.

Make the batter

  1. Mix potato and onion with egg, pepper, sugar, and salt.

  2. Heat oil in a 9x13-inch pan until it is quite hot.

  3. Add 1–2 tablespoons of the oil to the potato mixture, and mix. Pour the potato mixture into the pan.

Bake

  1. Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

457Calories
12 gProtein
19 gFat
62 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together9,023 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,305 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  3. Onion + peppertop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together68,474 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  4. Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together122,807 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Potato + eggtop 29% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,978 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Potatoes
Provide the starchy bulk that becomes a sliced, tender-centred pudding with crisp edges.
Eggs
Bind the grated-style potato mixture so it holds together when baked.
Schmaltz or vegetable oil
Adds fat that conducts heat and helps the edges fry and brown in the pan.
Onions
Contribute savory aroma and extra moisture to the batter.
White granulated sugar
Adds mild sweetness and helps the surface brown.

The step that matters

Heat the oil until quite hot before pouring in the batter. Hot fat sears the base of the potato mixture as soon as it touches the pan, starting a crisp crust and reducing sticking. Cool oil lets the batter soak in and bake up greasy and dense.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, egg, pepper, sugar):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Asparagusfits better
  3. Chivefits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, egg, pepper, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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