Yapchik With A Twist

Potatoes and oil are synonymous with Chanukah. As I was deciding which main dish to include in this set, I thought, Why not offer a slightly healthier version of yapchik, with a few variations? It’s a crowd-pleaser, and once it’s in the oven, you can forget about it until the next morning. We ate this on Succos, and everyone enjoyed it immensely.

Directions

Prepare the Yapchik with a Twist

1. In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes and onions, eggs, 1/4 cup oil, and seasoning. Set aside.

2. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil for the filling. Add the onions and celery and sauté for five minutes. Add the garlic, peppers, zucchini, and carrots, and continue sautéing for 10 additional minutes.

3. At this point, preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius).

4. Add the chicken strips to the pan with the vegetables. Stir together, cover, and remove pan from heat. Let sit for a few minutes. Add the seasoning and mix together well.

5. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a 9×13-inch (23×33-centimeter) pan, preferably Pyrex (this will give a crispy exterior to the kugel). Pour half the potato mixture into the pan. Add the entire vegetable-chicken mixture, spreading evenly over the potato layer. Pour the remainder of the potato mixture on top, covering the filling. Cover well with a double layer of aluminum foil that’s oiled on the inside so it doesn’t stick to the kugel. Place the pan on a baking sheet so if it splatters, it won’t go all over the oven.

6. Place in oven and bake for one hour. Lower oven temperature to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (90 degrees Celsius) and bake overnight. Remove from oven. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Variations:

You can use pargiyot instead of chicken cutlets for a slightly different flavor. You can also line the potato mixture
with very thin slices of steak before adding your chicken-veggie mixture.

Credits

Food and Prop Styling by Shiri Feldman
Photography by Felicia Perretti

Recipe tags

Brynie greisman Classic Jewish foods Crowd-pleaser Crowdpleaser Hannuka Hanukkah Healthier version Potato kugel Succos Succot Sukkos Traditional Yapchik