What Exactly Are Funeral Potatoes And What's With The Morbid Name?

If you were to take a bite of funeral potatoes without knowing their name, grief and death would be the farthest thing from your mind. Made with some form of potatoes — hashbrowns, tater tots, and cubed potatoes are most common — cheese, creamy sauce, and a crunchy element like breadcrumbs or cornflakes, funeral potatoes are comfort food at its finest. They taste how a warm hug feels, so it does make sense that this dish is associated with a group of people in need of some comfort: mourners. 

Funeral potatoes unsurprisingly got their name from being served at memorial gatherings. It's common for a potluck-style luncheon to follow a funeral, and this cheesy potato dish is perfect for feeding a large crowd. It's easy to make a large serving of funeral potatoes inexpensively, as the ingredient list is short and simple. Potatoes are also more filling than other high-carb foods, leaving guests' satisfied after fewer servings. Plus, funeral potatoes are a crowd-pleaser. Who doesn't love potatoes and cheese?

While it's clear from the name that funeral potatoes were historically served to mourners, what's less obvious is that the tradition started in the Latter-day Saints church. In fact, the dish is sometimes called "Mormon funeral potatoes." While it's not exactly clear when funeral potatoes first became a staple of large gatherings in the Mormon community, early cookbooks commissioned by the Relief Society, an LDS organization founded in 1842, feature recipes for the dish.

Funeral potatoes spread beyond the LDS faith to become a popular dish throughout the state of Utah and other parts of the Intermountain West. The dish is such an integral part of Utah culture that a souvenir pin shaped like a casserole dish full of funeral potatoes was designed for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. While the name might be off-putting to those who didn't grow up eating funeral potatoes, those who've tasted them understand their popularity.

There are many variations to this time-honored tradition, so you can get creative with your funeral potatoes. For each component of the dish, there are opportunities for substitutions. For example, you may want to use instant potatoes or boil them yourself. You may even opt for frozen hashbrowns or frozen tater tots instead. You'll also need cheese, creamed soup, something crunchy like breadcrumbs or chips, onion, butter, and sour cream. The dish is meant to be a quick and easy recipe, so don't be afraid to grab canned cream of mushroom soup instead of making something from scratch or opt for onion powder instead of chopping fresh onion.

There is no shortage of funeral potato recipes out there, but the basic process couldn't be simpler. All the ingredients go together into one casserole dish, which you can put right into the oven. Once you've given this strange-sounding potato side dish a try, you'll understand why it's a staple at luncheons, parties, and, yes, funerals.