The Amish Cook's Homestyle Cheesy Potatoes

Jump to Recipe

Daniel stepped into the house, cradling something. A second look revealed the surprise, a perfectly adorable fawn covered with white spots. By all evidence, it was no more than a week old. We gasped. Could it be a real baby deer? 

Daniel explained how its mommy had gotten hit on the road a few days before. And now the neighbors notified us that they had seen its baby out on her own.

I joined the six children as we all trailed Daniel to the barn. This baby deer was to get the best care ever.

We had all relished the stories Daniel, and his siblings had shared of Frisky, the baby deer they had rescued years ago, and how it just was loose running around the farm. Why it had been so tame, it followed them right into the house, heading straight for the pantry where it was always treated with marshmallows. In my head, I was seeing all sorts of future scenes with our little ones bonding with this adorable little thing in desperate need of nutrition. First, we mixed up some adoption formulas for baby animals as such. We were relieved to see it drink it down. One by one, Daniel gave the children permission to come and touch it so as not to scare or overwhelm it.

Daniel made a call to the shelter for abandoned fawns; they informed us that it is illegal to keep a fawn like this, but, gave us some basic instructions how to care of it until taken to the animal foster team. Daniel proceeded to do all he could for it. Noticing that it was rapidly losing strength, he carried it back to the house, which was slightly cooler. We gathered around it. It couldn’t be true… we questioned if our eyes were seeing right; this prized little deer looked as if it were about to draw its last breaths. In a matter of minutes, it was gone. There were tears to wipe as we hugged disappointed children. Daniel made another call to the rescue team again. They were not surprised by this sudden decline and death; with being separated from its mama so long, the rescue team thanked us for our help in caring for this little fawn

To our dear little children, it didn’t seem right, and it didn’t seem fair. “You know, children, I think God allowed this to make us strong for bigger and more difficult things we will face in life.”

“Like what?” one of them wanted to know.

I drew a deep breath. Surely this subject has been heavy on my mind. “I don’t know. Only God knows what will happen in our future, but life always disappoints everyone at one point or other. This grief will make us stronger if we choose to accept it, instead of fighting against it or declaring it can’t be.” After a bit, it was supper time, even if appetites weren’t all back to normal.

I set a cake on the table for dessert with the words “Jesus cares,” written with icing. Julia helped me decorate it with additional hearts as tokens of God’s love for us.

As you face your heartaches, take a slice of God’s comforting ‘cake’, which to me, is claiming a promise in His Word. It is sure to minister hope to your trial!

Now, as we go on with life, the children look forward to our baby goats, due in a week from now! I trust it will be healing for them to bottle feed these little babies. Daddy is guessing the mommy, Daisy will have two babies this time. The names have all been picked out already. We just need to wait and see if they’ll be boys or girls. The children love to go out in the pasture and talk to Daisy. Twelve-month-old Joshua thinks it’s the grandest thing to hand feed maple leaves to the expectant mommy.

Okay, so while you wait on our barnyard babies, join us as we eat fresh taters from the garden. This year I’ve been enjoying them extra much, they are so tasty, and it’s so fun to scrub them clean and not worry about peeling them, knowing that many nutrients are lost when the peelings are removed.

I’m passing on my sister-in-law’s recipe for Cheesy Potatoes. It is super easy to make, and the recipe can easily be divided in half.

Editor's Notes and Photos

This is a great recipe, I loved it. Honestly, when I first saw the recipe I kind of shrugged, it seemed kind of boring...I mean, it's basically a baked potato, right? But it's really a hearty, delicious side dish that is very easy to fix and even easier to eat. This is a classic cheesy potato casserole like mom used to make. So delicious and better than hash browns, that is for sure!

The potatoes are sliced for this easy homestyle cheesy potatoes recipe. The recipe does not call for diced onions, white or green onions, but either could be a really nice addition if you are an onion fan. Sour cream is also not something in the original ingredient list, but a half a cup adds some smoothness to the dish. This is one of these recipes where you can experiment with ingredients and not ruin the recipe. Some people, for instance, like to add cream of chicken soup to this and you can do that. Sprinkles of onion powder and garlic powder are other seasonings you might want to play around with. Some people like topping these potatoes with crushed Ritz crackers, breadcrumbs, potato chips, or corn flakes. Again, you can experiment. I'm leaving the recipe in its more basic form, but feel free to add and subtract as you like!

The onions are optional, but I think they add a great taste and flavor to the homestyle cheesy potatoes.

The melted butter and salts supply the flavor to the potato mixture.

Delicious and golden brown potatoes out of the oven. The recipe calls for shredded cheddar, you can use any kind of cheese, but I like a good sharp cheddar cheese for the best flavor.

The homestyle cheesy potatoes pairs well as a side with a chicken sandwich and summer corn on the cob! Definitely want to have some sort of protein to balance this out. This type of potato dish - sometimes referred to as funeral potatoes - is a common comfort food among the Amish also, carted off to potlucks and after-church gatherings or funeral gatherings. You'll also see dishes like this served on special occasions like Christmas or Easter. SIGH, potatoes, packed with carbohydrates and calories aren't exactly healthy food, but, this is cheesy potato casserole recipe is good comfort food. Just maybe not on a calorie diet, best for a comfort diet!

Jump to:

• 🥔 Homestyle Cheesy Potatoes
• 📋 Instructions
• 🥔 More Amish Potato Dishes
• 🖨️ Full Recipe

🥔 Homestyle Cheesy Potatoes

•  6 unpeeled baking potatoes
• 1 small onion (optional)
• ¼ c. butter
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbl. Dried or fresh parsley

📋 Instructions

1. Thinly slice raw potatoes and place in greased 9 by 13 casserole dish or glass baking dish.
2. Slice onions thin and place on top of potatoes.
3. In a small saucepan, heat butter, salts, and pepper until butter is melted, stir until creamy.
4. Drizzle over potatoes.
5. Cover with foil and bake at 425 for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley.
7. Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
8. Note: sliced cheese or any other kind of shredded cheese may be used if desired.

🥔 More Amish Potato Dishes

Delicious Mashed Potato Casserole - So good!

Easy Parmesan Potatoes - Wow!

Hubby's Favorite Potato Casserole - Amazing!

Amish Wedding Mashed Potatoes - Super!

🖨️ Full Recipe