If you can find them locally you really need to try “Taylors Cooked Bockwurst” sausages and “Kruegermann Red Cabbage with Apple.”
Having spent significant time in Germany, we both acknowledge these are two of the most authentic representations of German food. So last night with both of these products on hand, I decided to make another German dish to go along with them: Potato Kugel. Essentially Potato Kugel is kind of a potato souffle, which should be light and fluffy, not heavy. Mine turned out great so I thought I would share the recipe. I used a small oven proof pot to hold the Kugel while in the oven and it worked out very well.
Potato Kugel with Fried Shallots
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded
1 small yellow onion, coarsely grated
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup boiling water
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to a plate. Reserve the shallot oil.
2. Working in batches, squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible from the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl as you go. Add the grated onion, salt, black pepper and grated nutmeg and stir well. Stir in the whole eggs, egg yolks, olive oil and boiling water, then stir in the fried shallots.
3. In a small oven-proof pot Add 2 tablespoons of the shallot oil and heat until smoking. Carefully spread the potato mixture in the sizzling pot.
4. Transfer the potato kugel to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375° and bake the kugel for 40 minutes longer, until golden and crisp on the sides.
5. Preheat the broiler. Broil the potato kugel as close to the heat as possible for about 2 minutes, until they are browned and crisp on top. Let the potato kugel stand for 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
