A staple of Pennsylvania Dutch country, potato filling is a side dish built with butter – and more butter. Consider yourself warned. The dish is also something of a carb hog, injecting the autumnal flavors of traditional Thanksgiving stuffing into mashed potatoes. As such, you likely won’t need another potato dish on the holiday table, unless it’s the sweet variety.
Make Ahead: The filling can be assembled and refrigerated a day in advance.
Servings: 10 When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.
When you scale a recipe, keep in mind that cooking times and temperatures, pan sizes and seasonings may be affected, so adjust accordingly. Also, amounts listed in the directions will not reflect the changes made to ingredient amounts.
Tested size: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 4 ribs celery (trimmed), diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 5 slices white bread, cut into 1/2-inch squares (crusts on)
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup regular or low-fat milk
- 1 large egg
Directions
Melt 12 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the celery and onion; cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned at the edges.
Add the bread pieces; cook for about 10 minutes, stirring gently, until they absorb the butter in the pan and their crusts have slightly crisped. Be careful not to burn the onion, which will be somewhat caramelized and turn a deeper shade of brown. Let cool.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Use cooking oil spray to grease a 3-quart baking dish or casserole.
Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by an inch or two. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the water; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium; cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender, then drain and return them to the pot. Mash them gently, then immediately fold in the milk, egg, the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and a teaspoon of salt, stirring until the butter has melted.
Add the bread mixture to the pot, along with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and stir until incorporated. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish or casserole; bake (middle rack) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the edges start to brown and pull away from the sides of the dish.
Serve hot.
Recipe Source
Adapted from recipes by Sally Churgai of Pottstown, Pa., and Bonnie Boyer from CookingChannel.com.
Tested by Tim Carman.
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