Oma's Bubbelach

Well, I don’t know how old you have to be before you no longer qualify asa child, but no matter—no one can resist these crispy potato puffs.

Malka Engel-Padwa, related to Barry on Grandma Rose’s side, is a food writer and cookbook author in Antwerp, Belgium, where she is a frequent contributorto the bi-monthly
Koopjes magazine and others.

Says Malka: “Bubbelach can be served alone, in soup, or as a snack, sprinkled with sugar. This was my mother-in-law’s recipe, and on Pesach, Oma’s Bubbelach are always a treat for the children.”

This recipe is adapted from her cookbook, Malka's Kosher Kitchen, which contains recipes from her grandmothers, family, and friends.

Ingredients

2 pounds baking potatoes, cut into 1½-inch cubes

1 teaspoon plus a pinch of kosher (coarse) salt

Pepper, preferably white, to taste

4 large eggs, separated

Vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation

1. Bring a medium-size saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add thepotatoes and boil gently until they can be easily pierced with a skewer.(Don’t use a fork, which will break them apart.) Drain the potatoes and putthem through a ricer (preferred), or mash them by hand, in a bowl. Add the1 teaspoon salt and the pepper, and stir in the egg yolks.

2. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium-high speed untilfoamy, about 30 seconds. Add the pinch of salt and beat until the whitesform stiff peaks, about 1½ minutes total. Fold one fourth of the egg whitesinto the potato mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whites.

3. Pour oil to a depth of about 1 inch in a large skillet and heat it overmedium-high heat. Drop the potato mixture by the rounded tablespooninto the hot oil (do not crowd the skillet). Fry on both sides until goldenbrown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain the puffs on paper towels, and serveimmediately

Makes about 32

Try another Passover favorite, like Ashkenazi Haroset or Matzoh Brei!