Funeral Potatoes Recipe {Easy Make Ahead Casserole} - The Shortcut Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Are funeral potatoes a Mormon thing? ›

The long-lasting ingredients of funeral potatoes are almost always inside a Mormon's pantry—a holdover from the Church's post-Depression push for maintaining a three-month food supply at all times. So they're ready to be cooked into a dish at a moment's notice upon hearing of a community member's passing.

Why are they called funeral potatoes? Funeral potatoes get their unique name from being a crowd-pleasing casserole served as a side dish at after-funeral luncheons (particularly in the culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints).

These cheesy party potatoes pair well with smoked meats like ribs, pulled pork, brisket, ect. Another side we love to serve alongside these cheesy potatoes is broccoli salad. This recipe can be prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

In many communities, close family members and friends gather at the church after the funeral to share a meal prepared by the women's Relief Society. Ham or turkey is served with potatoes, salad, and rolls, followed by dessert.

What should I wear to a Mormon funeral? It's appropriate to dress in formal attire at a Mormon funeral. For men, this usually means a suit and tie, and for women, a conservative dress, skirt and blouse, or suit and trousers. Women should make sure to cover their knees and shoulders.

The gathering after the funeral usually has food known as a repast. Repast food is a type of food that is often served at funerals. It is typically light and simple, such as sandwiches and finger foods.

Annabelle potatoes, botanically classified as Solanum tuberosum, are an early season variety belonging to the Solanaceae or nightshade family.

Think of funeral potatoes like an everyman's au gratin or scalloped potatoes. Cheese, cornflakes (or something else carb-filled and crumbly), potatoes, sour cream and condensed soup comprise this delectable dish. It's a casserole dish that can feed a crowd.

Which cheese is best for potatoes? ›

If you love cheese and love potatoes you'll adore this delicious recipe! You can use any three cheeses you like, but I find using a sharp cheddar, freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and thin sliced provolone (because it melts very well) are the best!

Cubes (Diced)

To dice a potato, first cut it into fries following the above instructions. Then, cut the fries crosswise into ½-inch cubes for a medium dice. For a small dice, cut into ¼-inch cubes, and for a large dice, cut into ¾-inch cubes. This is the best way to cut potatoes for soups and stews.

The carb content varies depending on the potato variety. The lowest is Zerella with 8.9 g per 100 g. GiLICIOUS comes in at 10.3 g per 100. Both of these are marketed as low carb potatoes and claim '25% less carbs'.

They're also chock full of starch, which is a carbohydrate. But even though a potato is considered a complex “healthy” carb, your body digests these carbs faster than other kinds of complex carbs. These broken-down carbs flood your blood with sugar. This makes your blood sugar spike quickly.

Where did funeral potatoes come from? If conventional wisdom holds true and the Relief Society invented funeral potatoes, this dish was invented in Utah. It's also possible that funeral potatoes were invented in the Midwest. Until March 2023, funeral potatoes are part of a museum exhibit in Iowa per the Deseret News.

The Mormon funeral is a religious service, and offers an opportunity for the Church to teach the gospel. As Mormons believe in life after death, funeral services are generally serious but celebratory events. The service will often contain songs, hymns, prayers, tributes to the person who died, and a sermon.

In 1947 mission president Cornelius Zappey and other local Church leaders organized a welfare project to address food shortages and to restore goodwill among Church members. The Dutch Saints acquired seed potatoes and planted them in patches of dormant land.

Food common to the Mormon regional area is similar to Midwest comfort food, or "country home cooking". Eric Eliason, a folklorist specializing in Mormon traditions, says that Utah scones, funeral potatoes, and green Jell-O are distinctive to Utah.

The likelihood you've eaten them, however, is slim, as funeral potatoes are mostly an Intermountain West thing.