February 2025 – Potatoes

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Julia H. Hoover, Ephrata

• 5 lbs. potatoes, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 lb. bacon, fried
• 2 packages cream cheese
• salt & pepper to taste
• few dashes cayenne pepper

Cooked chopped potatoes, onion and garlic in chicken broth until tender. Add fried bacon and drippings. Add cream cheese and mash lightly to blend. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Heat thoroughly, but do not boil.

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and Ritz crackers. Milk can be added if soup is too thick.

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Mashed Potatoes

Damaris Zimmerman, East Earl

• 30 lbs. potatoes, peeled
• 3 quarts milk
• ½ cup salt, to taste
• 1 lb. butter

Cook potatoes until soft.

Heat milk until hot; add butter, hot milk and salt to potatoes. Beat until fluffy.

Serves 100.

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Cheese Potatoes

Elsie Reiff, Ephrata

• 8 medium potatoes, cooked in shell, cooled & shredded
• 1 tablespoon onion
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• ½ cup butter
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1½ cups milk
• ½ lb. Velveeta cheese

Sauté onion in the butter, about 15 minutes.

In a saucepan, combine the mustard, salt, pepper, milk and Velveeta and heat until cheese is melted. Add the butter and onion.

Combine the cheese mixture and potatoes and place into a greased casserole dish.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.

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Spinach Four-Cheese Baked Mashed Potatoes

Gloria Dougherty, Akron

“Delicious!”

• 9 oz. bag baby spinach, chopped or 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
• 8 oz. package cream cheese, cut into chunks
• 2½ cups milk
• 1 cup diced onion
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cups potato flakes
• ¼ cup Parmesan Romano cheese blend
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup diced ham (optional)
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Heat oven to 450°F.

Combine spinach, cream cheese, milk, onion, butter and garlic in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and heat on high power, stirring once, until milk is hot, about 6 minutes. Stir to melt cream cheese.

Add potato flakes, Parmesan Romano cheese, salt and pepper to hot milk mixture. Stir.

Pour into an 8”x8” or 9”x9” baking pan. Sprinkle ham and cheese on top.

Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Scalloped Potatoes

Dean Putt, Lititz

“The original recipe is from an Amish cookbook; I added the microwave component.”

• 2½ cups sliced potatoes   
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk

Melt butter; add milk, salt, and flour. Microwave for 4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until thickened.

Pour over potatoes and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, or microwave for 20 minutes.

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Aunt Sis’s Potato Salad

Marilyn Bashore, Lititz

• 8 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1½ cups mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon celery seed
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• paprika

Boil potatoes until soft. Drain. Place in large bowl.

Mix mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, pepper and celery seed in a small bowl.

Add celery and onion to potatoes. Sir in dressing and parsley. Carefully add the chopped eggs. Sprinkle with paprika.

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Potato Pizza Bake

Stephanie Trowbridge, Stevens

• 1 lb. ground beef, browned
• 4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese soup
• 1 cup milk
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9”x13” pan. Layer sliced potatoes in bottom of pan. Top with chopped onion and browned ground beef.

In a bowl, mix cheese soup and milk; pour over ground beef.

In another bowl combine tomato sauce, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper; pour over the cheese soup layer.

Slice butter into thin pats and place over the top.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top with cheeses. Return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes to melt the cheese.

Note: You can top the cheese with more oregano, pepperoni or whatever you might like on a pizza!

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Pierogi Casserole

Stephanie Trowbridge, Stevens

• 16 oz. package lasagna noodles
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 8 cups prepared mashed potatoes (about 10 large potatoes mashed)
• 16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup butter, divided

Cook and drain the lasagna noodles per package directions.

Sauté onion in 1/4 cup butter until translucent and soft. Stir the onions into the mashed potatoes.

Grease a 9”x13” pan. Place a layer of cooked noodles into the bottom of the pan. Cover with a layer of mashed potatoes, cheddar cheese and pats of butter (use the remaining butter to complete the layers). Repeat this process, ending with noodles sprinkled with cheese and butter pats on the last layer.

Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes.

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Potato Peel Pancakes

Pat Roth, Ephrata

• ½ lb. potato peels, shredded or finely minced (scrub potatoes before peeling)
• 1 small onion, shredded
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1” oil in a large skillet

In a mixing bowl, combine potato peels, onion, egg, flour and salt.

In a skillet, heat the oil.

Place heaping spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil. Cook, turning occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes, until nicely browned and crispy looking. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with sour cream.

Notes: Recipe makes 4 pancakes. Double if you want more. These are best with the peel of new red potatoes.

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Orange Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Pat Roth, Ephrata

• 8 medium size sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons grated orange rind
• 1 cup orange juice
• ¹/₃ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ¹/₃ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water, 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Allow potatoes to cool to the touch. Peel and slice. Arrange slices in a lightly greased 3-quart baking dish.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Pour glaze over the sweet potatoes.

Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

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Super Spud Brownies

Pat Roth, Ephrata

• ¾ cup mashed potatoes
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup flour
• ¹/₃ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup baking powder
• ¹/₈ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chopped pecans, optional
• confectioners sugar

In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, sugars, oil, eggs and vanilla.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to the potato mixture. Fold in the pecans if using.

Pour into a greased 9” square baking pan.

Bake at 350°F for 23 to 27 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool and dust with confectioners sugar. Cut into bars.

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Cheezy Hash Brown Casserole

Mary Ann Dell, East Earl

• 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ cup milk
• 30 oz. package shredded hash browns
• 1½ cup milk cheddar cheese
• 1 cup onion
• 1½ cups corn flakes, crushed
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl, combine soup, sour cream and milk; add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in hash browns, cheese and onions; mix well. Transfer to a greased 2½ quart baking dish.

Combine crushed corn flakes and melted butter; sprinkle over potatoes.

Bake, covered, at 350°F for 45 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

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Buttermilk Potato Puffs

Mary Ann Dell, East Earl

• 1½ cups hot, unsalted mashed potatoes
• ¹/₃ cup melted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5½ cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine the potatoes, butter, sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients and gradually stir in to the potato mixture. Chill.

Drop by rounded teaspoons into 375°F oil. Fry until golden brown; drain on paper towels. Roll in sugar.

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Creamy Scalloped Potatoes

Mary Ann Dell, East Earl

• 14½ oz. can chicken broth, warmed
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹/₈ teaspoon pepper
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf

Spray a slow cooker with non-stick vegetable spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the broth and flour until smooth. Add cream, salt, pepper and onion; stir well.

Arrange potato slices in slow cooker. Pour broth mixture over top. Add bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Serves 8 to 10.