Traditional Lithuanian Potato Pudding (Kugelis)

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Transfer rack to middle of oven and preheat to 350 F. Coat a 13-by-9-inch pan with cooking spray and set it aside. 

3. In a large skillet, sauté bacon and onion until lightly browned and caramelized. Leave in skillet and do not drain fat. Set pan aside to cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, evaporated milk, salt, and farina. Add bacon-onion mixture and drippings. Stir until well combined.

5. Using a food processor or by hand, finely grate potatoes, squeezing out excess moisture. Work quickly so potatoes don't darken. While they are still fine to eat if darkened, the final product won't look as appealing.

6. Add grated and squeezed potatoes to bacon-egg mixture, combining well.

7. Pour potato mixture into prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until top is quite brown and interior is solid, but still moist.

8. Remove pan from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

9. Serve as a side dish or as a main course with a salad.

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. You can enjoy leftover kugelis by heating portions in the microwave or browning them in butter. Enjoy!

Potatoes Abound in Lithuanian Cuisine

Lithuanian cuisine shares many culinary traditions with Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Germany, and Ashkenazi Jews. That means potatoes reign supreme and exist in nearly every course. Besides kugelis, also known as kugel, they star in these other potatoes dishes:

• Lithuanian zeppelin potato dumplings: Known as cepelinai, these football-shaped dumplings made with a raw and cooked potato dough are filled with meat or cheese.

• Lithuanian potato sausage: Vederai or potato sausage can be made entirely meatless or with the addition of bacon. The only other ingredients are grated potatoes, eggs, onion, seasonings, and a few tablespoons of flour.