Amish 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 that is loved by all.
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 the difference 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. And some people also call it filling.
Of course, the recipes vary a lot, depending on what your family likes or what part of the country you are from.
However, stuffing is typically referred to as the dressing that gets stuffed inside the turkey. While dressing may be served in a casserole dish.
Lancaster County Amish Stuffing
The Amish in Lancaster County serve 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. 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.
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 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 and stir to combine.
Mash the potatoes until no chunks are remaining. Add the butter/vegetable mixture and the bread cubes. And if it seems too dry, add more milk to create the desired consistency.
Mix well. Then 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. I like to drizzle gravy over the top as well.
This PA Dutch potato filling recipe is a great side dish to serve for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Food chopper...
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If you enjoy this PA Dutch potato stuffing/filling dish, leave me a star rating and comment below. I love to hear from you.
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.7 - 8 slices bread, cut into small cubes (about 1 quart)
- Peel, cut, and boil potatoes in water until soft. Drain the water and mash with a mixer until smooth.6 medium/large potatoes (4 - 5 c. mashed)
- In a saucepan, melt the butter and continue cooking until lightly browned. (It will be caramel in color and have a wonderful nutty aroma.)6 Tbs. butter, browned
- Finely chop the onion and celery (I use my Ninja chopper). Add them to the browned butter and cook for 10 - 15 minutes.5 celery ribs, 1 medium onion
- Add the beaten eggs, milk, and seasonings to the slightly cooled butter mixture.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
- Add the egg/butter mixture to the mashed potatoes. Mix well. Then stir in the bread cubes. (Or you make the stuffing by adding the butter/vegetable mixture to the bread cubes first and then add the mashed potatoes. It doesn't really matter which order you mix it in.)
- 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 or until heated through.
- Drizzle with additional brown butter, or serve with gravy.
- Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container and reheat them to serve. Leftover potato filling should be good for up to five days.
Janey
Hi Anna, this is also close to the recipe we have been using for generations in our PA Dutch family. Each of us have our own little tweaks = ) I use a half a bag of seasoned bread cubes instead of cutting up bread to give it an extra oomph. We also just use Poultry Seasoning, salt and pepper.
Cheryl
This is the exact recipe that I've been using for years.
Jo
Where are the diced apples? So yum
Anna
Apples?
Melanie
I like to make this a week or so in advance of Thanksgiving, like my working mother did. It was always the highlight of the dinner.
I’ve been making it for 30 plus years now. I never remember whether she defrosted it or put it in the oven frozen. Does anyone know. I would like to make a large batch and freeze in portions. It’s my husband’s favorite.
Anna
I've never frozen it, but I was going to say that I would thaw it in the fridge overnight. However, this is what one person online says: "Warm it from frozen in a 350ºF oven until heated through. Don't let it thaw or else the bread will become soggy." Not really sure why the bread would become more soggy??
Lynn Pernezny
This is essentially the same recipe I learned from my mother and grandmother, except with actual quantities 😄 My mom and dad would always have a big discussion about eggs/no eggs—they would include eggs in the end, and I always do. No other stuffing compares.
EA Mullinax
This is basically the same recipe that’s been handed down for generations except a few things. No eggs, sautéed onions in butter with parsley, finely diced raw celery went into mashed potatoes, and used evaporated milk.
Todd
That is close to PA Dutch Filling but the process and cooking is not even close..
Anna
Can you explain?
Susan Smith
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)