Yapchik is a slow-cooked potato kugel with a layer of meat inside, often served for Shabbat lunch. It’s a great alternative to cholent, especially on Pesach when barley is chametz and beans are kitniyot and therefore not eaten by Ashkenazi Jews for the duration of the holiday.

The meat falls apart as it cooks, the kugel develops a rich brown color and taste from cooking overnight, and the end result is more of a scoopable stew than a sliceable kugel.

Ingredients

  • 5 lb Russet potatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp kosher salt (use 1 tbsp if using table salt)
  • 1 lb flanken or second-cut brisket, cubed

Directions

  1. Peel the potatoes and place in a bowl of cold water to prevent discoloration. Cut the meat into cubes and set aside.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
  3. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, oil, water and salt.
  4. To grate the potatoes and onions, you’ll need either a hand grater or food processor.

    For a box grater, use the small knobbly side with the tiny, sharp protruding holes that look like little teeth. This side will create a finer texture that's ideal for kugel, allowing more starch to be released.

    For the food processor, if you have a “kugel blade” (a special disc with multiple tiny holes that creates a fine texture perfect for kugel), use this for both potatoes and onion. If you don't have a kugel blade, process half the potatoes and onion with the standard S-blade. Process the other half with the shredding disc and then pulse 2-3 times with the S-blade. Combine both textures for the ideal kugel consistency.
  5. Immediately add the potatoes to the egg and oil mixture and mix until well combined.
  6. Pour the potato kugel batter into a deep 9x13 pan. Add the meat cubes evenly spaced, and press them down so that the kugel mixture covers them completely.
  7. Bake the kugel uncovered at 450°F (230°C) for 75 minutes. Remove from the oven. Pour a cup of water over the kugel and cover tightly with foil. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F (95°C) and cook overnight until your Shabbat meal.
  8. To serve: This is more of a scoopable texture than a sliceable kugel, so serves best scooped into individual bowls.

Serves: 10-12