Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling

(Shared recipe submitted by Curt Hartman.)

Curt writes: "As a child I had to help my mother cook and probably my favorite was the potato filling. We never had a big meal without it. My mother never measured anything but was well known for her cooking, so this is my best attempt to pass along her recipe for PA Dutch potato filling."

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Idaho potatoes
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1-1/2 cups diced onions
• Salt and pepper
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine, divided
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley (can use dried parsley flakes)
• 1-1/4 teaspoons celery salt, or to taste
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups dry cubed bread
• 1/2 to 1 cup milk, or enough to moisten bread cubes

Cook potatoes with salt until tender. Sauté celery and onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in 2 tablespoons oil until tender and slightly browned. Push to one side of the pan; add 1/2 stick of the butter and soak parsley in butter, then mix with celery and onions.

Drain potatoes; put in large enough container to hold all ingredients. Add the remaining 1-1/2 sticks butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1-1/4 teaspoons celery salt. Mix with electric beater. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add celery and onion mixture and mix. In the same pan used for the celery and onion mixture, soak bread cubes in 1/2 cup milk to just to moisten, adding more if needed, and heat. Add to potatoes and mix. If mixture is too thick, add more milk. Add dry bread cubes if too thin. Also use more or less of seasoning to taste.

Put in greased baking dish (or dishes), dot top with butter, and bake at 400° for 1 hour until hot and golden brown.

Disclaimer: This recipe was submitted by a contributor and has not been tested by TerisKitchen.com.