chicken fat

At its core, kugel is a casserole. It comes in both savory and sweet varieties, often made with egg noodles and vaguely sweetened. This version, made with potatoes, is decidedly salty and savory, with onions in the mixture and chives to finish. It can best be described as something between a Spanish tortilla and a giant latke; the potatoes are shredded, not sliced, there are eggs but no flour, and it’s got crispy edges and a creamy interior. Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it? The most annoying parts of this kugel are also the most important: grating the potatoes (I use a box grater, but you can use a food processor with the shredding blade) and wringing out their moisture. For that, I use my hands and a colander or strainer to save a kitchen towel or a cheesecloth, but you can use those, if you like. Traditionally made in a casserole-style baking dish, this kugel starts off in a cast-iron skillet, but a stainless-steel skillet would do the job, and honestly so would a baking dish, just know you may be sacrificing that crunchy underside.

Crispy Potato Kugel

russet potatoes

onion

eggs

chicken fat, melted, oil

salt and black pepper

chives,

Flaky sea salt,

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Using a box grater or the shredding attachment on the food processor, grate the potatoes and onion into a colander fitted inside a large bowl (or in the sink).

Using your hands and working with a bit at a time, squeeze as much water from the potatoes and onions as humanly possible and transfer the dry potatoes to a large bowl (you can use that same bowl, just make sure it’s drained and dry). For added insurance, you can also do this with cheesecloth or a porous kitchen towel, if you like.

Add eggs and 6 tablespoons chicken fat to the potatoes, and season with salt and plenty of pepper, mixing well. Heat another 2 tablespoons fat in a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high. (This recipe will work in a 9- or 10-inch skillet, but the kugel will be slightly taller in a 9-inch.) Delicately place the potato mixture into the skillet, taking care not to pack it in tightly. (You want to keep the kugel light and airy.) 

Cook the potatoes, rotating the skillet occasionally to promote even browning, until it’s golden brown on the edges and up the sides, 10 to 12 minutes. 

Drizzle the top of the potatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons fat and place in the oven. Bake until the top of the kugel is deeply golden brown, the edges are wispy and crispy, and the potatoes are completely and totally tender and cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes. 

Remove from oven and top with more pepper, chives and flaky sea salt. Slice and serve warm. 

Kishke

chicken fat, suet or vegetable oil

onion,

garlic, chopped

celery,

carrot,

matzo meal

salt,

black pepper,

paprika

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of foil 12 inches long, topped with a sheet of parchment paper the same size.

In a skillet over medium-low heat, heat 4 tablespoons fat or vegetable oil, and sauté onion and garlic until soft and golden. Cool slightly and pour everything, including fat, into a food processor equipped with a steel blade.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons fat or oil, celery, carrot, matzo meal, salt, pepper and paprika to food processor. Pulse until vegetables and fat are incorporated into a paste. Transfer mixture to parchment paper, and shape into a knockwurst-like cylinder about 9 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Enclose parchment and foil firmly around cylinder, folding ends under.

Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook until kishke is solid, 45 to 60 minutes more. Unroll kishke to expose surface; return to oven just until top is lightly browned and slightly crisped, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly, and cut into rounds. If desired, serve as a side dish with pot roast or roast chicken.

In this unusual recipe, seasoned, rendered chicken fat and creamy butter are whipped with a little maple syrup for an earthy, rich and lightly sweet spread for bread. Make sure to cook the chicken skin until it turns nut brown — that’s what gives the fat its fried chicken flavor. While you could use schmaltz in place of rendering the fat yourself, the flavor won’t be quite the same because schmaltz usually includes onions in the rendering. If you haven’t been saving your chicken skin and trimmings in your freezer to render, you can usually order the skin from a butcher if you give them enough advance notice. And make sure to save the fried chicken skin as a cook’s snack. It’s the crunchy, salty byproduct of this excellent spread.

Chicken Butter

chicken

bay leaf

unsalted butter (1 stick)

maple syrup

salt, more for sprinkling

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat, add chicken skin and fat and bay leaf and cook until skin is crispy and brown, about 8 minutes. Turn off heat and let chicken fat cool slightly. Transfer chicken skin to a paper towel-lined plate and lightly salt it if you want to eat it as a snack. Discard bay leaf.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup rendered chicken fat with the butter, maple syrup and salt. Remaining rendered chicken fat will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Crispy Potato Kugel

Kishke

Chicken Butter

Top 3 chicken fat recipes from across the web

The most viewed chicken fat recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Crispy Potato Kugel

Kishke

Chicken Butter

The most viewed chicken fat recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine