HOME & GARDEN CONSUMER GUIDE

Sweet Potato Kugel For The New Year

Pudding is comfort food to enjoy during a meal as well as afterwards. We now think of puddings as a sweet dessert, connecting us to immigrant roots, but long ago savory puddings were also common. So it is not surprising that traditional puddings, whether sweet or savory, are prepared for special holidays that bring families together.

Made with vegetables, savory puddings include the Southern classic, corn pudding, and the less familiar tomato pudding, a Shaker dish made with layers of sliced tomatoes and bread. Both tend to be rich, as they are often made with copious amounts of eggs and cream.

Equally appealing, but more healthful, savory puddings come from Eastern Europe, where carrots, potatoes, cauliflower and other hearty vegetables are the foundation for many dishes. Frequently, these are based on Jewish cooking, and puddings known as kugels.

Kugels are often served on holidays like Rosh Hashanah, as well as at the weekly Sabbath dinner. They evolved as dishes useful for these occasions, when cooking is not allowed, because they could be made the day before. Today, their comforting association with family tradition – many families have recipes handed down through three or more generations – and the convenience of a dish easily made ahead, ensure the kugel’s popularity.

Sweet Potato Kugel is often served on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which this year begins at sundown on September 26th. Made with shredded yam, it honors the tradition of eating sweet foods to symbolize the sweetness to come in the New Year. But you need not be Jewish to enjoy this colorful baked pudding on Rosh Hashanah – or at any non-holiday meal.

Incidentally, the long, orange, bronze or red-skinned potatoes found in bins labeled yams at the supermarket are actually members of the sweet potato family. They are not related to the huge, true yam used in African cooking, although Americans often interchange the terms. Avoid using what are labeled sweet potatoes, which are too dry and hard to shred.

Sweet Potato Kugel

• Canola oil spray
• 1 lb. (about 2 medium) sweet potatoes
• 1 medium baking potato (about 1/2 lb.)
• 1 medium carrot, finely grated
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs or matzo meal

Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray.

Peel and finely grate sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Peel and finely grate baking potato into a smaller bowl. A handful at a time, squeeze as much water as possible from the baking potato, then add to sweet potatoes. Add carrot and raisins and mix until well combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, juice, oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add to potatoes and mix to blend well. Add bread crumbs and mix until well combined. Turn mixture into prepared baking pan. With the back of a spoon, press firmly to compact it and then smooth and even the surface. Cover pan with foil.

Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil. Continue baking until vegetables are tender and top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack until lukewarm.

Cut kugel into 8 rectangles and serve while still warm. To save for a later time, cover snugly with foil and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, reheat in a 350-degree oven until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 151 calories, 3 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 29 g. carbohydrate, 4 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 375 mg. sodium.