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I am constantly amazed at how animated and talkative people get when you mention food. The mere aroma of certain foods can evoke memories that transport us back to a special place and time. Food can bridge the gap between all ages, races and ethnicities.
Let's face it, the only thing that should ever come between people is a table and some serving bowls.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

One Persons "Latkes" is Another Persons "Kugelis"

I just tried one of the most amazing side dishes called; Kugelis. It is a Lithuanian recipe for creamy potato pudding casserole. It is rich, and creamy a very comforting addition to the family meal. When I saw that they traditionally served their Kugelis with apple sauce or sour cream it reminded me of the Latkes that I had growing up.

Kugelis

5 Russet potatoes, grated
3 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tbsp. cream of wheat or flour
2 slices bacon, diced
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 cup of milk

Fry diced bacon until cooked; then remove from skillet and cook onions in the drippings until soft, add bacon, onions and drippings to grated potatoes stir in eggs, salt, pepper and cream of wheat and milk. Mix well and pour into greased 1-quart baking dish.
Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 1/2 hour then lower heat to 350 degrees and continue baking another 1/2 hour until top is nice and brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Traditionally Kugelis is eaten with apple sauce, sour cream, or crumbled fried fat (bacon or pork belly) if there are any leftovers, slice and fry the next day.


Photo courtesy of Cizauskas/flickr

11 comments:

Judy said...

Yum!! I've eaten Latkes too and this will definitely fill the desire to have them. This is much easier too. Maybe this weekend if it's not too hot to light the oven. Thanks again.

Julie said...

Thanks Judy, you are absolutely right this is much easier to make than latkes.

Nikki @ NikSnacks said...

Hooray to cream and potatoes in the same dish. Oh, this looks so good. Creamy, crispy, brown, and hot. Yeahh!

Julie said...

Enjoy, Nikki

daphne said...

oo.. Hey! Pop by here from foodbuzz. I haven't tried this dish before but it certainly looks really rich and perfect for a cold winter.

Julie said...

Hi Daphne, thank you for stopping by.

Anonymous said...

i love the trefe latkes, priceless!

Julie said...

Thank you, lastomach

Anonymous said...

this: http://beerinfood.wordpress.com/2007/10/05/kugelis-break-out-a-baltic-porter-and-eat-like-a-lithuanian/ should be read with respect to this recipe being "easy", hope you all do it right and enjoy this epic dish!

Becky Straple said...

Anonymous is right! Beer In Food has a great recipe that is much closer to what I grew up eating. Kugelis should contain at least a pound of bacon! Thanks for sharing this great dish Noshtalgia, I hope everyone has fun making it!

Julie said...

Thank you, Rebecca