Yields 4-6 servings / Meat

When I first moved to Lakewood, my house wasn’t ready yet and I was staying in a tiny one-bedroom furnished apartment. My friend Bracha Fisher invited me for the seudah right before Yom Kippur. This dish was so good! Pure genius! It’s a great way to serve your Shabbat and Yom Tov staples in one dish. The juices from the chicken run into the kugel as it bakes and make it oh-so-good!

• 4 chicken leg quarters
• 7 medium potatoes, peeled
• 2 onions, peeled
• 1 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Using a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, pulse onions a few times to break them up. Add oil, eggs, salt, and pepper; pulse just until eggs are broken up.

Switch the blade to the “kugel blade” or small shredder blade; process potatoes until blended with onion mixture.

Transfer batter to a bowl; mix well.

Pour kugel mixture into a 9 x 13-inch pan or oven-to-table baking dish.

Gently place chicken pieces on kugel mixture, making sure to leave space between each piece. Sprinkle chicken with onion powder, paprika, and garlic powder (it’s OK if some gets on the kugel).

Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the kugel is crispy on top. (It can take longer, depending on your oven and baking dish. It should be brown and crispy on top.)

Took me years to realize this, but over-processing eggs for kugel batter makes a fluffy, cakey kugel that DOES NOT taste good. I pulse the eggs for a second or two—that’s it.

I like to use russet potatoes, but Idaho or any Yukon works also.

Place the baking pan on a lined cookie sheet. I find the juices sometimes bubble over, and this way you’ll avoid a smoky oven.