Warm and bubbly, Funeral Potatoes are great any day. Photo by Jon Canlas.
Earlier this week, I was asked to contribute some food for a funeral. A neighbor of mine passed away and in the four years I have lived in this neighborhood, I’ve never met this woman. We were members of the same church, she was elderly, and that’s all I know about her.
Despite my distant association, I was happy to oblige. I was assigned a dish associated with most memorial services here in Utah–Funeral Potatoes. This home cooked hug, with its melt-in-your-mouth mixture of potatoes and cheese, soothed my own soul at my mother’s funeral so many years ago.
It’s been five years, but I can still remember returning from the cemetery and having the smell of something wonderful grab me by my coat collar as I walked back into the church. I recall shaking the snow off my black heels and clutching the arm of the closest person next to me.
“Sheela,” I whisper to my youngest sister. “We’re going to eat Funeral Potatoes.”
My seventeen-year-old sibling stops and takes a deep breath. With one long inhale she soaks in the savory aroma of slow cooked onions drifting down the hall. “Umm, potatoes,” she says. “I completely forgot about them.”
“Me too,” I answer back. I am still holding on to her arm. With the promise of food in our bellies, the somber mood shifts, and we enter the large reception room with hungry anticipation.
A long buffet table is already set, awaiting our arrival. Slices of ham are arranged in swirly spirals on large platters. Bowls of green salad tossed with tomatoes and olives sit next to a baking sheet filled with white dinner rolls. In the very center of the table, the star of this meal, a large assortment of Funeral Potatoes.
The beauty of this hearty-enough-for-a-meal accompaniment, is that not one dish is exactly the same. Every family has their own version, their unique spin on this classic potato dish. Some are topped with crushed cornflakes. Others, salty cracker crumbs and cheddar cheese. One dish may have scalloped potatoes, another shredded potatoes; some others use tater tots.
Behind me, I hear the awed murmurs of my California relatives. They are impressed with such an organized spread. This is very likely the largest gathering of Asians to ever visit the small town of Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.
Standing in line behind me, my cousin Denny looks overwhelmed at all his choices.
“Basically, it’s a potato casserole,” I explain to him. “Covered with cheese, and lots of creamy soup.” A fireman working in Oakland, Denny is eying a lumpy tater tot rendition with caution.
“Which one do I pick?” he whispers back.
“Don’t worry, they are all good,” my sister Teela jumps in. As to prove the validity of her statement, she takes a scoop out of the tater tot variety. “The best thing to do is to try them all.”
Encouraged by Teela’s example, the rest of us decide to do the same. I scoop four different potatoes on my plate and my husband Brendan fills his plate with five.
As my cousins and siblings sample the bountiful varieties of potatoes and cheese, funeral potatoes gain at least 12 more fans and I see my mother’s family go back for seconds. Then thirds. At the cousin table, we disclose our favorites, debating the merits of each version. Denny likes the breadcrumb topping, crumbly and rich with melted butter. I prefer my potatoes sliced thin, into round scalloped moons.
During lunch, people come by to offer their condolences and congratulate me on my pregnancy. This baby would have been Mom’s first grandchild. I take another bite of hot potatoes. Perfectly soft and buttery in my mouth.
“Okay, no. I change my mind,” Denny exclaims, interrupting my thoughts. His eyes close in bliss as he lifts another spoonful of potatoes to his mouth. “This one? With the different kinds of cheese on top? My new favorite. I gotta get me some more.”
He gets up and heads back to the buffet, our laughter following him. These potatoes have helped us smile. Somehow, I have managed to find a little fun in this funeral. I savor the moment and take another potato-y bite.
Thinking back to this memory, I can’t help but feel appreciation for the members of my church and community who helped ease my sadness that day. I know the burden that planning a funeral can be. I felt lucky today to have had the chance to give back, to help provide comfort to another mourning family with a dish of my own Funeral Potatoes.
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Note: Have you had Funeral Potatoes? What is your favorite variety? While I will happily eat whatever is given to me, when I make it, I like to be as natural as possible. I use homemade cream of celery soup instead of the usual condensed kind. Shred my own cheddar cheese. Cornflakes are great, but homemade breadcrumbs? Even better. It’s hard to go wrong with something this rich and soothing.
Funeral Potatoes
recipe inspired by my mother-in-law Norma
serves 12-15
5 lbs. Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 small yellow onion
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, divided
1 pint (16 oz.) sour cream
2 cups cream of celery soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and peel potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch circular slices. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and cold water to a large stock pot. Next place the cut potatoes. Heat on high till boiling, then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Drain potatoes and place in a 13″ x 9″ pan. Set aside.
Next, using the small holes of a grater, grate the onion. The onion will be very juicy, very mushy. In this dish, I like my onions in the background. Grate enough for three tablespoons, if you have any remaining onion, reserve for another use.
In a medium size bowl, mix the onion, 1/4 cup of melted butter, sour cream, cream of celery soup, remaining teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese together. Pour the mixture over the cooked potatoes.
Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of butter with the breadcrumbs (or cornflakes) and sprinkle over top of the casserole. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
i love funeral potatoes!
and, i love how everyone has their own variation!
I like to put smoked ham in it with a sharp cheddar cheese. Oh my!
Caroline,
I love trying out all the variations too!
Megan,
Okay, smoked ham? This is on my list for next time.
I have a funeral potatoes post in the works (from the same funeral!) but I’m guessing I’d eat yours over mine any day!
I love funeral potatoes. I don’t mind the shredded potato hashbrown ones, but they’re better with fresh potatoes.
Deborah,
I was wondering if you were making some for that day too . . . you flatter me. I just know yours are probably so amazing.
Kalyn,
I’m so glad we share this same love from the beehive state. I doubt there is a south beach recipe that exist for this dish, but if there were, you would be the one to create it!
I would honestly eat funeral potatoes cold. (I love them!) This was a great post. I’m sorry that you lost your mom. I’m glad they still serve funeral potatoes at funerals, there’s nothing quite like the comfort they offer.
I am totally making your cream of celery soup. I’d never thought of making that myself. (I refuse to buy the canned stuff anyway.)
Veeda this sounds amazing, and the connection with your mother’s funeral makes it priceless. It was great to meet you as well, I wish we had the chance to sit by one another, maybe in the future!
Lindsey,
Thank you for your kind comment. I can also eat funeral potatoes anytime. Although, I’ve never had them cold though.
Kalli,
A future breakfast/lunch/dinner date would be so fun! Thanks for your nice comment as well.
I could really go for some funeral potatoes right now. Warm and bubbly. That’s what I want.
Remember when we ate almost an entire pan of tater-tot casserole/funeral potatoes on a dinner break while working at the Herald and we were both pregnant? This post made me remember that.
We do shredded potatoes, bits of ham, & homemade cream of mushroom soup. Then with the cornflakes on top. & I totally feel the same way about the onion. Yummy recipe! I only heard about funeral potatoes a few years ago & I love them. Beautifully written story, as usual.
m.
Oh Marnie,
That meal was one of the best dinner breaks in my life. I think I made your rendition at least twice that same week!
M.,
Like Megan, I need to try adding ham in mine. I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me. Thank you so much.
I love how you connect food with real life. I loved reading this.
A friend of mine makes them for me every year on my birthday. Funeral potatoes for a birthday? You better believe it.
(here via Carina) What a lovely way to remember a difficult time. Funeral potatoes are really the only thing about Wasatch Front cuisine that I really, truly adore. And I even love them with the cheater condensed soups (chicken, not mushroom, since the mushroom overpowers the light potatoes, and also, during pregnancy, I developed an allergy to the smell of cream of mushroom soup that still triggers the gag reflex, even thinking about it). I believe my favorite recipe includes frozen hash browns, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese, celery salt, and corn flakes sauteed in butter. I’m not sure my kids have ever had it! Maybe now’s the time.
Camille,
Thank you! I always love having you comment.
Carina,
This would be the best birthday present ever. I’ll have to remember this for next year.
Sarah,
I’m glad you came here via Carina. I’ll have to try using celery salt too. I love reading everyone’s versions! So many ideas.
Veeda, this post had me teary-eyed. I’ve never stayed long enough to eat the food at a funeral, and yet, I find your story totally relatable and touching. I’ve also never actually cooked funeral potatoes, haha, but it’s on my list…I’ll have to try your recipe.
what a nice perspective on funeral potatoes. You’re making me crave some. I guess it’s a good thing you left a recipe.
i love funeral potatoes. it’s one of maybe 3 meals where i swear you really do need a can of cream of whatever to make it. yummy.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I found your blog through CJane and I’m so happy, last time I tried to make funeral potatoes they turned out so bad that you could stick a fork in the dish and pull the entire thing out!
I had some potatoes to use up – I put them on the counter as I left to take my neighbor for a medical procedure this morning. As I sat in the waiting room, I noticed a book one of the women was reading titled FUNERAL POTATOES. My first thought was “what a cute name for a book”. I boldly asked her if it was a good book which she responded – “oh, yes, but do you know the story of funeral potatoes?” She proceeded to tell me all about them giving me the recipe from the book. It called for frozen potatoes and I had fresh (?) ones on the counter I really needed to use. So I googled them when I got home and found your website and recipe, made them for dinner and my husband thinks they are the best thing he’s ever tasted. I just had to tell you.
I love your website and am an avid fan already – I’ll share with all my friends. Things like that happen to me all the time – I end up meeting all kinds of really neat people. Thank you.
DianeKay, this is the nicest comment! I’m so flattered. Thank you. You made my day.
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