Potato Filling
Pennsylvania Dutch potato filling is a side dish that is made with a combination of mashed potatoes and bread stuffing. It’s a traditional PA Dutch holiday dish and seems to be Pennsylvania’s most-searched-for Thanksgiving side dish recipe.
Growing up in PA, potato bread filling was a common side dish. Although honestly, we usually served mashed potatoes with our holiday meals. And truth be told, mashed potatoes were the number one side dish served with most of our meals. We grew enough potatoes to last all year. So it was a very cheap and easy dish to make, and they are loved by all. Click on this link for my Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe.
But sometimes it is nice to switch things up a little. And this Amish potato filling is a great side to serve with your ham or turkey for a holiday meal. It can easily be made a day or even two days in advance. And that helps to take off some of the pressure of getting your holiday meal to the table.
Stuffing, Dressing, Filling, or Mashed Potato Filling – What’s the Difference?
Recently I noticed several posts within my different Facebook groups questioning what the difference is between filling, stuffing, or dressing. I believe that stuffing and dressing are the same things. Both of these are usually bread-based dishes with roughly the same ingredients. Of course, the recipes vary a lot, depending on what your family likes or what part of the country you are from.
And stuffing is typically referred to as the dressing that gets stuffed inside the turkey. While dressing may be served in a casserole dish.
But the Amish in Lancaster County serves the turkey and dressing together as one dish. Find my Amish Chicken Roast recipe here. And one turkey can feed a large group of people because they serve it mixed with lots of stuffing. My Amish mom used to make a giant bowl full of dressing, and she stuffed the turkey with some of it. When it was done baking, she removed the meat from the bones. Then the turkey, the stuffing, and the remaining dressing all got mixed together.
So, I think it’s safe to say that dressing and stuffing are technically the same things. And we used the words stuffing, filling, and dressing interchangeably for this bread-based side dish. However, potato filling is a completely different dish, in my opinion.
While Pennsylvania Dutch mashed potato filling is also made with bread stuffing and has a lot of the same ingredients, it is a potato side dish. The potato filling is a potato-based dish instead of a bread-based dish.
How to make Potato Filling, PA Dutch Recipe
To make homemade potato filling, start by cutting your bread slices into little cubes (about the size of croutons). You can let them sit out to dry overnight. Or toast them in the oven until they are slightly browned.
Peel, cut, and boil the potatoes until soft. Meanwhile, melt the butter and continue to cook it over medium-low heat until it is slightly browned. Finely chop the onion and celery (I use my Ninja chopper to do this). Add the onion and celery to the brown butter and cook the vegetables for 10-15 minutes. Allow this to cool slightly. Add the eggs, seasonings, and milk. Stir to combine.
Mash the potatoes until no chunks are remaining. Add the butter/vegetable mixture and the bread cubes. If it seems too dry, add more milk to create the desired consistency. Mix well.
Place it into a buttered casserole dish and bake. Serve with turkey, ham, pork roast, or anything else you think would go well with Pennsylvania Dutch potato filling. And I like to drizzle gravy over the top as well.
This potato filling recipe is a great side dish to serve for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
More Thanksgiving Recipes to try…
The Best Cranberry Salad Recipe
Amish Pumpkin Custard Pie Recipe
Food chopper…
As you probably know by now, I use my Ninja chopper all the time! It’s one of my most-used kitchen gadgets. So I’m adding a link where you can buy yourself one, in case you don’t have any.
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Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 – 8 slices bread, cut into small cubes (about 1 quart)
- 6 medium/large potatoes (4 – 5 c. mashed)
- 6 Tbs. butter, browned
- 5 celery ribs
- 1 medium onion
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 c. milk
- 3/4 tsp. seasoned salt
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. pepper
- garlic powder, parsely, and sage to taste, optional
Instructions
- Cut bread slices into small cubes and let sit out to dry overnight. Or toast them in the oven until lightly browned.
- Peel, cut, and boil potatoes in water until soft. Drain the water and mash with a mixer until smooth.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and continue cooking until lightly browned. (It will be caramel in color and have a wonderful nutty aroma.)
- Finely chop the onion and celery (I use my Ninja chopper). Add them to the browned butter and cook for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Add the beaten eggs, milk, and seasonings to the slightly cooled butter mixture.
- Add the egg/butter mixture to the mashed potatoes. Mix well. Then stir in the bread cubes.
- Grease a casserole dish with butter and fill it with the potato filling. You can bake this immediately or cool and refrigerate for the next day.
- Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
- Drizzle with additional brown butter, or serve with gravy.
We prefer it without the celery, but other than that, I have been making this as long as I can remember (and I am old haha)