Buy the Cookbook

Side Dish | October 8, 2012

Funeral Potatoes 101 or What Mitt Ate Last Night (part two)

Funeral Potatoes 101 or What Mitt Ate Last Night (part two)

Funeral Potatoes are classic comfort food. Loaded with cheese, sour cream, butter and potatoes, it’s anything but healthy eating! But comfort food is rarely healthy and this recipe is guaranteed to be on your family’s list of favorite dishes for years to come. 
Did you see the debate last week? I’m not a big fan of politics in general. In fact, every time we see a politician make a speech, see a campaign commercial, or watch a debate, the conversation usually goes like this:
me: sheesh, I would never want to be a politician.
grant: you could not pay me enough to be a politician.
me: being the wife of a politician would be the worst.
grant: that job would stink.
me: you know, people say the same about lawyers.
grant: no they don’t.
me: yes they do.

So.
That said, newsflash- we are Republicans.
I know, you’re shocked. Mormons and Republicans.
And we like Mitt. Mittens, as we affectionately call him. Not that we know him, but you know how that goes. We talk like we do.

Anyway. Remember when I posted that JELLO recipe several months ago? I titled it “What Mitt Ate Last Night”. This is the second recipe in the installment of “What Mitt Ate Last Night”.
Classic Mormon food.
This will either make you :
a) feel warm and fuzzy inside, and run to the nearest grocery to buy some Cream of Chicken Soup.
or
b) stop reading this blog.
Everyone needs a recipe for this dish in their files. Guaranteed to comfort and clog the arteries. This is my favorite version of Funeral Potatoes. Been making it for 30 years. Funerals, family parties, neighbor dinners, you name it, this dish goes with it.
Bon Appetite 🙂

 
4.17 from 6 votes
Print

Funeral Potatoes

Servings 16 side dish servings
Author A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 12 large Russett potatoes boiled, then peeled and grated or
  • 1 large 24-32oz package frozen hash brown potatoes thawed
  • 2 cans cream of chicken soup
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese divided
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper each

Topping options:

  • 1 cup Panko Crumbs or 2 cups crushed Corn Flakes + 2 tablespoons melted butter optional
  • or
  • 1/2 cup grated cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in middle of oven.
  2. Place butter, chopped onions, salt and pepper in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook just until onions are softened. Place soup, sour cream, 2 cups of the grated cheese in a large bowl.
  3. Pour the cooked onion/butter mixture over the soup mixture in the bowl. Mix well.
  4. Add grated potatoes. Fold ingredients together.
  5. Pour the mixture into a 9×13 greased pan.
  6. If using topping, spread the Panko or cornflake mixture or additional 1/2 cup of cheese over the top of the casserole and bake uncovered for30-40 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and golden on top.
  7. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Tips:

-This recipe has oodles of variations, here are a few:
You may cut ham into cubes and place in the casserole.
-I have used low fat sour cream and low fat soup with good results. It is better with regular soup and sour cream, but is fine with low fat.
-Some people use part cream cheese, cut into cubes, and cut some of the sour cream and or cheese.
-The onions may be substituted with green onions.
-You may use flavored cheeses such as Smoked Gouda or Pepper Jack in place of the cheddar cheese.
-Almost everyone makes this recipe with frozen hash browns. That’s fine in a pinch, or if you are making it for the masses. Make sure if you use frozen potatoes to thaw them before using.
Funeral potatoes taste best when you take just a little more time and cook your own potatoes. Scrub the russets, boil them until tender. Peel the potatoes and grate them before folding in the soup mixture. Make sure to always boil the potatoes with the skins on, to avoid watery tasting potatoes.
-I like to use Russets when making funeral potatoes. Never use Yukon Golds, the texture is too waxy.
-This recipe freezes well. Follow the recipe and cover with foil or saran wrap. To cook, place in oven at 325 for about 1 hour. You may take it directly from the freezer and bake. You may need a bit more or less time depending on your oven. Sometimes I put it in my oven at 275 for 2-3 hours. When I bake a frozen dish, I cover it tightly with foil until it’s done so it does not dry out. I remove the foil the last 15 minutes of baking or broil for a couple of minutes to get a golden top.

29 thoughts on “Funeral Potatoes 101 or What Mitt Ate Last Night (part two)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




  1. This is one of those go-to comfort foods that you can whip up without two thoughts, great to make for a funeral, or anything. It's easy, it's simple — everyone loves it. Wouldn't it be great if just one politician was like that!

    1. I'm Canadian, but feel the same about all politicians. I'd hate the job, and hate being married to one.
      Having said that though, I love this recipe, politician-approved or not!

  2. I think funeral potatoes are everyone' guilty pleasure…even if they won't admit it. I bet Mitt would admit it. Even democrats would like these.They are just plain delicious.
    Such a funny post. I

      1. 5 stars
        Why would Democrats not admit they like them? This Democrat has been making them for years. Oh, and I think that you could find a few Democrats that support Mitt more than some Republicans do! This will probably shock you too but there are quite a few Democrats in the LDS Church!

  3. We don't call them funeral potatoes in Alabama . . .and I do use the frozen shredded hash browns. I use crushed cheez its on top!!

  4. If Mitt's favorite sandwich is peanut butter and honey as I have heard, don't you think it is a sure bet that "cheesy potatoes" have graced his table more than once in the past years.

  5. 4 stars
    Definitely would prefer the ready-made frozen hash browns for any casserole of this type. Their texture is always “just right”.

  6. 5 stars
    Hi Si!
    I made these for our family Easter dinner yesterday and while they turned out delicious, I cooked too many potatoes. Is it safe to assume that if the recipe calls for 24-32 oz of hash browns, then I should use 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. of potatoes instead? I used the 12 large Russetts listed in the recipe but my large Russetts were obviously too large! Also, I appreciate the many tips you mentioned including not using Yukons (my favorite potato) and leaving the skins on during boiling so they won’t be so watery. Thank you so much!

    1. Holly,
      I should weigh the potatoes sometime while making this recipe! Next time I will get out the scale! I’m guessing the potatoes I use are about .25 lb each? Which would work out to about 12 potatoes by the time they are peeled…thanks for bringing this to my attention. I will amend the recipe when I weigh out the potatoes 🙂

  7. Hello Si!
    My friend Heather and I so enjoyed attending your Rising Star Fundraising event this month. We had a lot of fun watching your demo and enjoying your delicious food. Thank you! And thank you for your efforts in gathering prizes, I won Courtney’s delicious cake, Heather won the Instant Pot!
    Also, I am preparing your funeral potatoes for Easter dinner on Sunday. Without reading the reviews, or contacting you, I purchased 12 large russet potatoes, worried it was too many potatoes. I decided to read the reviews and contact you after the fact. I am wondering if you have weighed the potatoes. I assume I would need about 2pounds of cooked, peeled potatoes, based on the hash brown weight. Is that correct? Also, just curious, do you prefer the cornflake topping, or just the cheese?

    1. Georgia,
      I’m so glad you had a wonderful time at the Rising Star event. I’m grateful we could contribute to such a worthwhile cause. Congrats for being winners! The recipe calls for 12 large russets, boiled then peeled and grated. They taste great when you use fresh potatoes. No, I haven’t weighed them. Please refer to the “notes” section of that recipe for tips on potatoes and tweaking the recipe to your liking. I love the cheese topping, but if you like a bit of crunch, add the cornflakes. Have a wonderful Easter weekend.
      xo,
      Si

  8. How long do you boil the potatoes? Do they need to completely cool before peeling and grating? I’m afraid they might be too mushy. Thanks.

    1. Hi Kim, you want to boil the potatoes until they are tender, this will probably take about 20 minutes, give or take. The potatoes should be cool before you grate them but they can be peeled before that any time. Hope this helps and thank you for asking!
      xo
      Si

  9. 1 star
    Only b/c you still support mittens????? The trouble and shame he has caused to the LDS community & Republican Party……. Shameful!

    1. 5 stars
      One star throws off the whole potato rating. So glad I came to the comments to see what the problem was with this recipe! The potatoes are so great and easy! Politics aren’t—let’s leave them out of the rating scale. No trouble or shame from the potatoes😉😘

  10. This is the the best funeral potato recipe!! It’s so creamy and goes perfectly with your ham recipe; which is also a favorite of ours!

  11. Move over traditional family funeral potatoes recipe! This is the tastiest one and the only one you need.