How to Make Potato Pudding - A Traditional British Recipe

  

Discover the comforting charm of traditional British Potato Pudding—a simple yet satisfying dish made with grated potatoes, carrots, swede, onions, and rich seasoning, baked until golden brown. Perfect as a hearty side or a vegetarian main, this classic recipe brings timeless flavor to your table with minimal fuss and maximum comfort.

This really isn't a pudding, or dessert.  It is instead a savory side dish composed of root vegetables put together in the most delicious way. I love these old British dishes that people have been making in their kitchens for hundreds of years.  Using simple and humble ingredients and not a lot of them, they speak greatly to the ability of country folk to be able to throw together something delicious without a lot of effort, using ingredients that they might have grown simply in their own kitchen gardens.

 

I don't really remember where I got the recipe from. I suspect it was from these little cookbooks that I used to buy in the U.K. published by Salmon publishers, which carried the favorite recipes from a variety of areas in the U.K. I had to leave all of them behind when I moved back to Canada, but they were a real wealth of great, traditional and old-fashioned recipes which really appealed to me. I found them to be real treasures.

I have since picked up a few through Thrift Books, but not the one this recipe was in.  It might have been favorite recipes from the kitchen garden. I don't know for sure.  If you ever get a chance to pick up these books, I highly recommend them, especially if you are a fan of the old ways and traditions.

Me, I am not a super fancy cook. I did my fair share of fancy cooking when I cooked at the Manor. In my own private life, I prefer things to be a bit more on the simpler side. This may be a simple dish, but it is also an incredibly delicious dish for all of its simplicity. I really hope you will be inspired to want to make it!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE POTATO PUDDING

What I love about these old traditional recipes is that they use very simple ingredients and methods. There is nothing complicated here. What you have here is four basic ingredients, with only a few other bits and seasonings added. Simple.

• 2 cups (200g) peeled and coarsely shredded potato
• 1 cup (100g) peeled and coarsely shredded carrot
• 1 cup (100g) peeled and coarsely shredded swede (rutabaga)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp summer savory or marjoram (DRIED)
• 2 TBS cream
• 2 TBS softened butter
• chopped parsley or spring onions to garnish (optional)

 

I used Russett potatoes because that is what I had in the house. Peel and then grated on the large holes of a box grater. You may want to grate them into acidulated cold water (with some lemon juice or vinegar added) to help prevent them from turning brown from oxidation. 

I used about 1 1/2 medium sized carrots and about a third of a medium sized turnip, both of them peeled. Don't NOT peel the vegetables. I always shudder when I see people cooking unpeeled carrots, etc.  First of all, rutabaga peelings are not very palatable and secondly carrot peels can turn a nasty color when cooked.

I cut my onion in half and then cut each half thinly into half moons.

I used summer savory. It is an herb that is grown predominantly here in Eastern Canada. It has a lovely almost stuffing like flavor. As I state, however, you can also use dried marjoram.

I used full fat cream. There is only 2 TBS of it so it doesn't add a lot of fat or unwanted calories to the dish and it does give it a nice rich flavor.

I use salted butter.  I also chose to top the cooked casserole with finely chopped spring onions. They added a nice touch of color and a little bit of flavor that went very well with everything else.

 

HOW TO MAKE POTATO PUDDING

This is basically a very simple side dish to make. It goes together quickly and easily.

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Generously butter a 7 by 11-inch or 9-inch square shallow baking dish. Set aside. (I put about a TBS of butter into the baking dish and pop it into the oven while it is preheating. Once melted I use a pastry brush to brush it evenly over the bottom and sides of the baking dish.)
2. Mix the vegetables, salt, pepper, summer savory and cream together in a bowl, mixing them all together until well combined.
3. Spoon into the prepared baking dish and press down a bit to smooth it out. Dot the butter evenly over top. (I press it down firmly with a spatula. I try to dot the butter as evenly spaced as possible over the top of the vegetables.)
4. Cover tightly and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until golden and crusty on top. (I use a sheet of tin foil to cover it, tucking it closely around the sides of the dish and making sure it is tight.)
5. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before cutting in to squares to serve.
6. Garnish with chopped parsley or spring onions to serve (optional). Delicious!! (I used some finely chopped spring onions on this day and they tasted lovely!)

 

SUGGESTIONS FOR SERVING POTATO PUDDING

This is a very versatile side dish and works very well on the sides of all types of protein. Chicken, pork, lamb, beef, fish. All would go well with this. On this day I served it with some leftover fried chicken.

This also makes a very delicious Vegetarian Main.  Simply add a fried egg for some protein and serve it with some grainy bread and pickled beetroot on the side.  As a Vegetarian Main I would not expect it to serve any more than two to three people, tops.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN THESE BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?

Absolutely. You can either cook them all the way, store in the refrigerator (Covered) and then reheat gently in a moderate oven (350*F/180*C) until heated through, or you can store the casserole in the refrigerator, uncooked ad covered.  Simply uncover, leave at room temperature for half an hour and then proceed as per the recipe.

MUST I USE THE SAME VEGETABLES AS PER THE RECIPE?

Some people don't like rutabaga or carrots. Traditionally these are the vegetables that are used along with the potatoes, but you can by all means substitute them for other root vegetables if you wish.  Celeriac works well, as do turnips, or even parsnips. I don't recommend using beetroot however as the color will bleed into the dish in a most unappealing way.

HOW DO I STORE THE LEFTOVERS?

Refrigerate any leftovers promptly, covered, and use within 3 to 4 days. They are very easily reheated. I simply melt some butter in a skillet and then break up the pudding into it and scramble fry it like I would fried potatoes or hash browns. Delicious!

CAN THIS BE FROZEN?

I have never frozen this so I cannot with any certainty recommend freezing it. I suggest you freeze a small portion first and see how that goes.

 

A FEW OTHER 

POTATO SIDE DISHES

THAT YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY

I make no secret of it. The potato is my favorite vegetable. I could make a meal out of them and nothing else.  They are; however, the best side dish ever and here are a few other ways that I enjoy serving them as a side.

RUSTIC SMASHED RED POTATOES - Before I made this delicious version of mashed potatoes, I wasn't really sure if I would like mashed potatoes with the skins still in. I decided to give them a go and was quickly converted! These smashed potatoes are of a different genre of smashed potatoes. These are like a smashed mashed potato, meant to be rustic and creamy all at the same time. This totally works.
 

PAPRIKA BROWNED POTATOES - I am no stranger to fried potatoes. That is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them! As a child, when fried potatoes were on the menu, we were all happy campers. Our mother made brilliant fried potatoes. The only difference between these and the fried potatoes or pan fries my mother used to make is the addition of paprika.  Everything else is pretty much the same. These are a fabulous way of using up leftover boiled potatoes.

 

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Yield: Serves 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Potato Pudding

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

Tasty, old fashioned and, it uses ingredients most of us have to hand a great deal of the time. This is a real people pleaser!!

Ingredients

• 2 cups (200g) peeled and coarsely shredded potato
• 1 cup (100g) peeled and coarsely shredded carrot
• 1 cup (100g) peeled and coarsely shredded swede (rutabaga)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp summer savory or marjoram
• 2 TBS cream
• 2 TBS softened butter
• chopped parsley or spring onions to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Generously butter a 7 by 11-inch or 9-inch square shallow baking dish. Set aside.
2. Mix the vegetables, salt, pepper, summer savory and cream together in a bowl, mixing them all together until well combined.
3. Spoon into the prepared baking dish and press down a bit to smooth it out. Dot the butter evenly over top.
4. Cover tightly and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until golden and crusty on top.
5. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before cutting in to squares to serve.
6. Garnish with chopped parsley or spring onions to serve (optional). Delicious!!

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