If you're not from Central Pennsylvania, there's a good chance you've never heard the hallowed words, "potato filling," before.
I'm so sorry if you're not Pennsylvania Dutch;some people are just born lucky, I guess. And mostly, those of us who are PA Dutch are lucky because of one single, solitary food.
Yes, shoo-fly pie is delicious. Some people like pickled red beets. I was raised on Lebanon bologna and American cheese sandwiches. There's chicken rivel soup and all kinds of pot pies to salivate over.
But let's talk about the king of them all.
Potato filling.
Potato filling is a delicious mix of
potatoes (what else?), bread, butter, celery, onions, poultry seasoning,
salt, and pepper. Humble ingredients, yes, but when sauteed and then
whipped and then baked, you get a thing of beauty. Potato filling takes
the place of traditional stuffing or dressing-- we don't do the
put-stuff-inside-of-the-turkey thing that most people do.
In my family, potato filling comes but three times a year: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Don't even ask for it at another time. You will be sorely disappointed. (For the first time in my life, there'll be an exception. This year, we get it a fourth time-- when John comes home for R&R and visits my folks.) While the side dishes are subject to change, potato filling is a non-negotiable. A holiday without it just wouldn't be a holiday.
On my list of things to do this year, I wanted to learn how to make Thanksgiving dinner, just in case John and I find ourselves somewhere else next year. My mom, an organizational and planning maven, already had all of the dishes ready to go and stored in the freezer, just waiting to be baked on Thanksgiving Day, by the time that I got to Pennsylvania. So instead, I sat in the kitchen with her as dinner cooked on Thanksgiving morning. It's as close as I could get to check this one off the list.
This sounds delicious! I think I need to make it for Christmas! Be sure to let me know if you post the recipe. ;)
ReplyDeleteI definitely will, although I'm pretty sure this recipe has to stay a family secret! :-)
DeleteOh my gosh, I had no idea what shoo-fly pie was. Now I think I want one everyday. I'm going to try this. Maybe on a day that's not Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking I may have to feature more PA Dutch food! I like shoo-fly pie enough, but the really delicious one is shoo-fly cake! And shoo-fly muffins! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it... :-) !
DeleteThank you for the potato filling idea. Part of the family is now gluten-free. This will make a wonderful alternative to stuffing made with gluten-free bread which in my opinion tastes horrible. We don't stuff inside the turkey either. Visiting from Sharefest. Thank you again. Christmas will see the intro of this dish.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so glad that this could be an option for your family! (I had never thought about it being a gluten-free option with gluten-free bread!) I told my mother that people want the recipe, so I'm hoping to feature it soon! Check back for it! :-) And thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThat sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to stop by for the recipe! :-) I can't imagine eating anything else for the holidays! :-D
DeleteThanks so much for checking out my blog. I had to come by and see yours and I love the fun, lively layout.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Philly girl and I sooo miss the dishes of the Pennyslvania Dutch. I've had potato filling only a few times, but they were memorable enough that I salivate just thinking about it.
Ah, another Pennsylvanian! :-) So cool that you've heard of (and eaten) potato filling before! Thanks for coming over!
DeleteIve never heard of potato filling before but it sounds seriously delish!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting! :-) I'm glad you stopped by!
DeleteI'm from the UK but have used a lot of US recipe sites in the last 11 years and I have never heard of this before. But now I have, I have to try it! Sounds lovely :-)
ReplyDeleteFollowing from the I Love my Post Blog Hop
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