I have said it before and I will say it again: I hate Passover. I don’t do matzah, and I certainly did not grow up eating matzah pizza or matzah brei. The week just seems like an endless carb-less torture of chicken soup, seder leftovers and washing dishes.
But I know it doesn’t need to be. And every year we add more and more great, matzah-less Passover friendly dishes to our arsenal.
Enter this year: potato kugel pizza. I know that cauliflower crust pizza is all the rage these days with the paleo kiddos and whatnot. But health is my secondary concern, and taste and fun is my primary motivation when I enter the kitchen. And it’s a fact: everyone loves potato kugel and everyone loves pizza. Especially kids.
This potato kugel is definitely decadent and absolutely delicious. You can either make it like a traditional kugel in a rectangular dish or bake it in a round cast iron skillet so that it looks more like an actual pizza.
If you use a cast iron skillet, I advise using a very large one (or splitting the recipe into two batches) and flipping it over mid-way through cooking to get both sides super crispy. In either version, make sure that you spread the potato mixture into an even layer so that it’s the same thickness throughout–you don’t want to have some parts that end up crispier than others.
This is such a fun dish to serve mid-week during Passover to keep the kids–and adults–happy and satisfied.
INGREDIENTS
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp fresh chopped or jarred garlic (jarred is preferable)
½ cup matzo meal
3 large eggs
Olive oil
Jarred (or homemade) tomato sauce
¾ cup shredded mozzarella
¼ cup shredded cheddar
2 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese
Other toppings such as peppers, broccoli, olives, fresh basil, tomatoes
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add a few Tbsp oil to the pan you are using and place in the oven while you prep the remaining ingredients. (You want the oil to get hot so that the kugel is crispy).
Peel potatoes, cut into large chunks, and put through food processor. You can also hand grate them using the course opening of a grater.
Whisk the three eggs in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper and garlic. Add potatoes and combine with your hands or a spatula. Add matzo meal and combine again.
Once the oil has heated in the pain, reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Spread the potato mixture into an even layer all over using an offset spatula.
Bake for 35 minutes until bottom and top are crispy. If top isn’t crispy enough, bake for another 5-10 minutes.
If using a cast iron skillet, use two spatulas to turn it over mid-way through cooking (at about 15-20 minutes).
Add sauce and cheese (and any toppings you want) and put back into the oven for around 4-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is heated through.
If using a rectangular pan, cut into squares and serve.
If using a cast iron skillet, carefully slide it from the pan onto a serving platter or cutting board and cut like you would cut a pizza.
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