Potato Kugel Muffins

Potato Kugel

There’s something special about food cooked in a muffin pan. There’s no pressure to share or take a smaller piece “to leave some for guests.” My family makes these every year for Rosh Hashanah and, with alterations, Passover. If you prefer, the recipe can be doubled and cooked in a 9 x 13-inch pan.

cooking spray or oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

1/2 cup silken tofu
1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine, melted

4 to 6 medium potatoes
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (or another tablespoon flour)
1 teaspoon salt salt

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray (or oil thoroughly). Process the onion in a food processor. Add the tofu to the processor and process until combined. Add melted margarine. Set aside.

Working quickly, peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Process in the food processor. If you must do this in batches, cover the pureed potatoes with plastic wrap and refrigerate to keep from turning brown.

Mix together the potato, onion-tofu mixture, flour, nutritional yeast, and salt to taste. Fill the oiled muffin tin with the batter. The kugel doesn’t rise much, so you can fill the cups nearly to the top. Bake for 1 hour or until the tops are browned.

NOTE: My mother would insist that all the grating be done by hand. Feel free to do so, going as quickly as you can. Expect to skin your knuckles a few times. For the real experience, have a Jewish mother nearby to scold you to go, “faster, faster!”

TIP: If you want to make these for Passover, sub matzah cake flour (ideally) or matzo meal for the flour, and oil for the margarine. With the tofu they will, of course, have kitniyot.