Enfield Shaker Potato Pie Recipe

This is a nice way to use up mashed potatoes. Beat them with cream to make them fluffy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Put in ovenproof baking dish and push little pieces of cheese within the potatoes. Mix onions and buttered bread crumbs together and let this form the crust of the pie. Cook in moderate 350° F. oven for 20 minutes or until heated through. SERVES 4.

Peel and cut potatoes into 2″ cubes and boil in lightly salted water for 15 minutes. Drain and mash.

Mix in cream, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Stir in grated cheese.

Place mixture in a lightly greased 1 quart baking dish.

On medium heat melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small frying pan and add the bread crumbs, stirring until lightly browned. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon grated raw onion.

Spread the bread crumb mixture over the potatoes and bake for 20 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit. SERVES 4.

Leftovers are delicious served the next morning shaped into small cakes and fried in a little butter to accompany eggs.

This recipe first appeared in The Best of Shaker Cooking, edited by Amy Bess Miller and Persis Fuller (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. 1970), based on Shaker manuscript recipes, 19th century Shaker almanacs, and The Manifesto, the Shakers’ own publication. The Best of Shaker Cooking is still in print and available from Amazon or the Enfield Shaker Museum gift shop.