Margaret Suran wrote:

> Potato Kugel is traditionally made for Passover, a holiday during
> which you are not allowed certain foods, including anything made with
> regular flour and therefore Jews use Matzo Meal. At all other times,
> you may use flour, during Passover you have to use Matzo Meal. Also,
> you cannot use Baking Powder or Baking Soda or Yeast or any kind of
> leavening during Passover and whenever you make the Kugel as a side
> dish for meat, if you are an observing Jew, you cannot use Butter to
> make it. At no time, not just during Passover.
>
> Complicated, but I am Reformed and most of these rules do not apply to
> me, even though I do not cook with flour at that time.

If you are making the kugel for a dairy meal, you could use butter.
With breads, if there are dairy products in them, they are made in a
different shape that non-dairy breads so they will not be confused.
The same might hold true for a dairy potato kugel.

There are also a lot of local customs (local to Flatbush, local to
Williamsburgh, local to Monsey), so it's possible that whoever told you
butter could never be used might hold by that particular rule.

maxine, replete with bean and barley vegetable soup this evening.

Mom always made her lokshen kugel with cottage cheese, milk and butter.