Potato stuffing is a dish I grew up eating at my Burgher family dinners. My grandmother made it for all special occasions like Easter and Christmas. My mother, though not Burgher, continued the tradition in our home modifying the recipe to her liking. I in turn have modified the recipe numerous times to my own family likings. Thus, this recipe I’m sharing is the work of three generations. My hope is that the next generation will continue the tradition of making it and modifying it to their own tastes and likes.

The type of potato used plays a big part in this recipe. Please make sure to get the floury potatoes and not the waxy type. Boil potatoes with their skin on. Peel and if possible, use riser to mash for best results, however if you prefer a lumpier version, use a fork.

A typical Menu that included potato stuffing at one of our special occasion family meals would also have a savoury rice dish (yellow rice or ghee rice) with fried cashew nuts and raisins, salads of boiled (beetroot and carrot) and raw (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onions) with a homemade mustard dressing, ham, pineapple slices, pineapple curry, and a chicken curry of sorts (my mother’s favourite was a mango chicken). My grandmother had additional dishes like salted meats and roast beef which she made at home.

Ingredients

• 3 large potatoes boiled and mashed.
• ½ red onion very finely chopped
• 2 tbsp celery finely chopped (add a couple of leaves as well).
• 1-2 cloves garlic minced.
• ¼ tsp ginger grated (optional)
• ½ tsp very finely chopped green chili
• ¹/₈ tsp powdered curry leaf
• 50g butter
• ¼ cup milk
• ½ Knorr beef cube dissolved in ¼ cup hot water or ¼ cup beef broth.
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tsp soy sauce (optional)
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Method

Heat butter in a pan. Add onion, celery, ginger, garlic, green chili, curry leaf and fry till soft. Add the potato and mix well. Add the milk and stir well. Cook for a few minutes and add the stock and sauces. Stir well. Add the yogurt and parmesan. Mix well.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix and cook for a few minutes till you get desired consistency. If too dry, add a little butter or milk.

Bonus Info
The Burgher people (Burghers) of Sri Lanka, are a small Eurasian ethnic group descended from Portuguese, Dutch, British, and other European men who settled in Ceylon, often marrying native Sri Lankan women. Legally, to qualify as a Burgher one’s father must have been born in Sri Lanka and have at least one European ancestor on one's direct paternal side. Because of this definition, Burghers almost always have European surnames (mostly of Portuguese, Dutch and British origin, but sometimes German, French, or Russian) (Mulle, 2012).