A Tradition, Mormon Funeral Potatoes Recipe
Yummy Funeral Potatoes
By Any Name, Still Funeral Potatoes
"Also called "Ward Party Potatoes," "Christmas Potatoes," "Potato Casserole" I'm sure many other names - but the most famous is Funeral Potatoes because it is often served at funerals and Church parties in Utah. "
Doesn't every good LDS family have a funny Funeral Potato Story?
Well, here goes.... About a month ago my husband was meeting his cousin, whom he hadn't seen for a while, for lunch during work. They met at a nearby restaurant and were getting caught up on all the exciting things that had happened to them since they had last seen each other, and talking about all their life discoveries since they had last met. Cousin had been doing a lot of traveling because he raced VW Bug's, but I guess that would be another story, and had experienced the adventure of dining out across America. He was so anxious to tell Husband about this wonderful new discovery he had made at a restaurant called Cracker Barrel.
Now mind you, we live in Southern California and Cracker Barrel's are not very easy to find, if you can find one at all. So, Cousin decided to "Google" the restaurant and had them all "mapped out" all over the United States, so that he wouldn't miss one if he was in that area. He proceeded to tell Husband about this wonderful, mouthwatering, delicious, potato casserole that was the reason for his attraction to the restaurant. As Cousin, who is a member of the Mormon faith but has not attended actual church for some time, started to describe this tasty dish. Husband nearly lost it! Cousin was describing the Mormon phenomenon, Funeral Potatoes.
Husband, after gaining his composure, proceeded to tell Cousin, that it was a traditional dish that his very own mother prepared all the time. Cousin could only respond, "Well, no wonder I liked it so much!"
I guess you can tell the "activity" level of a Mormon by their knowledge of their potatoes. (Lighten up people... this statement is simply in jest!)
Actual Recipe
Now, for the actual recipe, there are about as many variations to the recipe as there are people who prepare it. I, for one, am a "simple" cook. I like to keep everything simple...so here is the simple way to make them:
1 Large bag of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes (not already browned, raw)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 pint of sour cream
1 small bunch of green onions (just the green part cut really fine, I just use scissors!)
GOBS of grated cheese, I use cheddar/jack combination but any is fine. (what is a GOB? Oh about 2 large handfuls, but more is good too.)
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, plop in a 9x13 pan and cook at 350 degrees for about ½ hour.
Optional: Crushed Corn Flakes on top, or Crushed Potato Chips, or Bread Crumbs W/melted butter etc, be creative.
Favorite Mormon Recipes
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Another Funny Story
One day while my "Mormon Son" was working, one of his co-workers discovered the fact that he was a Mormon, and then realized he must have a "Mormon Mom." In sheer delight she exclaimed, "Does your mom make those wonderful potatoes?" I guess she must have attended a Mormon Funeral. Anyway, for Christmas, I was instructed that I had to make Funeral Potatoes as a gift for this person. I sent him off with a batch in a disposable pan, with baking instructions. It was a hit!
When people refer to us as a "peculiar people", I guess it is all about the potatoes.
Comments
Sounds delicious, Doghouse, sign me up...for funeral potatoes? Since I'm not Mormon, can I, at least, call them "party potatoes"?
Simply amazing. I'; no idea such a thing existed, espcially as described in the Funeral Potato Blog link. I know a family that would call them UFO Sighting Poatoes. They love potatoes and see UFOs every Christmas season on their farm.
Calrigby- You betcha all about that crunch!
Peter- Call them what you like, because if you serve them it will be a "party!"
Patty- Yikes, do you think it is possibly the cholesterol clogging the bloodflow to the brain? Or maybe it is just Santa?
We need more Cracker Barrel's here... What other great dishes did they get from them Mormons?
Sounds like a yummy recipe, who knew you find these mostly at funerals in Wisconsin we call this kind of dish comfort food :) for cold weather.
Truth_Seeker7
No, I don't believe Mormon's have cornered the market on comfort food. It is yummy. Try it, it is easy too, and feeds a large crowd.
Wow! I didn't realize the Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole was really a funeral comfort food. How cool! I'm with Cousin. When I travel, I map my route to hit every Cracker Barrel I can.
Hi Sally
Yep, they are a traditional funeral dish for the Mormon's, but are also served all the time at other functions as well. I think it is because they are so easy to make and take. We don't really have any Cracker Barrels around us, I have yet to try their casserole.
This is a keeper. As an Irish-American, I'm always looking for great potatoe recipes for my family. Thank you for sharing the history of your dish. This makes it all the more interesting!
Cailin,
You will love this potato dish! I know your family will love it too. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Excellent hub. Love it. Fantastic content.
I grew up in a mormon community, but I had no idea CB's side dish was a "mormon thing"!! The food I always recognized my mormon friends and their families by were the canned goods they canned themselves! I got so many silver cans of different kinds of delicious stuff when I got married! But no "Ward Potatoes"!!!
I am a recent convert to the Church of Latter-Day Saints and have not had "Funeral Potatoes" yet. This recipe sounds much like what a former girlfriend's grandmother called "Company Potatoes", the potato dish with the toasty cornflakes on top. Oh, they were absolutely delicious! Can't wait to try this recipe!
From a down home, good ol' Utah girl, I can attest that these potatoes make fans wherever they go! Now living in SoCal near my husbands family- there are MANY MoMo dishes that are truely delish that they have never even heard of. My husband attended my grandma's funeral with me back home, and could not say enough about all the GREAT food the Ward had prepared, or how amazingly nice everyone was. I had to laugh when he asked- 'Do we have to wait for another funeral to get some more of those potatoes?!'
Utards (I can say that cause I am one!) also get down with some great, almost anything you can think of JELL-O salads!
Thanks so much for posting this! I served at a mormon (being mormon myself) wedding once, in which they served 'funeral (or in this case wedding) potatoes' and have been looking for the recipe ever since! :)
Where I come from they're Family Reunion Potatoes! Oh sure, they do show up at Funeral dinners and church socials,even work potlucks. I assumed it was basic Southern casserole fare.
I do like the name "Mormon Funeral Potatoes" better, however. Makes them sound more...soulful, somehow. :^}
I never new what this was until my sis-in-law brought it for a family potluck. Activity level in the church has nothing to do with one's knowledge of bland, sugary and fatty Utah Mormon food. I am a descendant of pioneers and I am proud to say that I grew up on the East coast and I have always been an active Mormon.
I made Funeral Potatoes for the first time and they are good. You can sure get hooked on them.
funny
having grown up Mormon and leaving the church as a young adult I miss the inside jokes!
Any way i was at my new church home and was shocked to see Mormon patatos and i said " OH Morman patatos wow!" some one herd me and said no them are Catholic patatos my mom made them and from and old lady that saw my fear said "I thought the where Baptist but if you been asking them tatters and getting answes on faith i am not eating them.!"
Thanks for this post! I got the recipe years ago from a Mormon friend. Delicious!! Wanted to make these for Christmas this year but didn't think I'd catch my friend on Christmas Eve. This recipe is pretty much exactly how I remember hers. Thanks so much!
My brother calls it "Death Casserole"...terrible name, but terribly delicious!!!
It has to be my ultimate comfort food, and you don't have to be a Mormon to apprecitate them!
My family is LDS,and they make these potatoe's for Christmas every year! We want be going home for Christmas this year, so I am going to try, and make them myself.I hope they turn out as good as my sis-n-law makes. Happy Holidays!!
I love this hub! I have recently moved to Evanston, Wyoming from Loveland Colorado, and I have heard a lot about funeral potatoes. Recently I enjoyed tasting them for the first time at a pot luck. I used to work at a cracker barrel, and one of my daughters works there now. I will be making them for her Christmas eve birthday. Thanks for the great recipe.
Namaste.
I voted this up! I love them. The stories too.
my good friend passed away in a car accident. he was greek orthodox. after the funeral, dozens of people are waiting in line to get food. from clear back at the back of the line you hear people asking...do they have funeral potatoes? how many pans of funeral potatoes can you see? lol people way up infront of the line said..."there arent any funeral potatoes", to which the reply was wow a funeral in utah and no potatoes? what about jello? lol again disappointment LOL but the greek food was good. it was just funny that people show upat a funeral expecting funeral potatoes :)
calrigby 4 years ago
Oh, it's all about those tasty buttery corn flakes on top! what a riot! really funny post! Love your description of GOBS. You're the kind of cook I can relate to. : )