Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling

Ingredients:
4 slices potato bread, toasted and cubed
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 cups leftover mashed potatoes (I used leftovers from this)
2 tablespoons parsley
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray with cooking spray or grease a 8x8 inch baking dish. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the celery and onion and saute until the onion is translucent (do not brown!), about 5 minutes. Add the bread cubes and saute until they are warmed through.

Add the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients until all ingredients are evenly distributed*. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until piping hot and the top is lightly browned.

*Some mashed potatoes are moister than others. If your mixture looks dry, add some chicken or turkey stock to moisten and thin the mixture out a bit.

My thoughts:

I came across a mention of potato filling in an article about Thanksgiving traditions and regional foods people miss when they move from their hometown. We all know how fond I am of sauerkraut at Thanksgiving so any mention of a quirky regional dish catches my attention. Apparently this is often served at Thanksgiving and sometimes even stuffs the turkey (!) but I thought it was a great way to use up the leftover mashed potatoes that, let's face it, often get dumped. You probably still have some turkey to serve with this but if not, ham or chicken would be tasty too. It is like a crazy homey hybrid of stuffing and mashed potatoes. I took care not to overcook the celery so it provided a good crunch, breaking up the creaminess of the potatoes. It might be a bit homely looking but it is so good and this is coming from a truly rare casserole eater.