Dutch Pot Pie

This isn’t the pot pie most people picture. Pennsylvania Dutch pot pie has no top crust, no puff pastry, and no creamy filling. It’s layers of homemade egg noodle dough alternating with quartered potatoes, butter, and parsley, baked low and slow in a kettle with water until everything melds into something rich, starchy, and deeply comforting.

The dough is rolled stiff and cut into pieces that cook between the potato layers. Over three hours in the oven, those dough pieces absorb the buttery, starchy liquid and turn soft and slippery, almost like thick dumplings. The potatoes break down at the edges, thickening the broth around them.

Line the kettle with dough first, then build your layers: butter on the bottom, potatoes, dough pieces, more potatoes, finishing with potatoes on top. Salt, pepper, parsley, and butter dots go on last before the water.

Pro Tips

• Add flour gradually when making the dough. You may need up to 4 cups depending on egg size and humidity. Stop when it’s stiff enough to roll without sticking.
• Quarter the potatoes evenly so they cook at the same rate over the long bake time.
• Don’t skip lining the kettle with dough. It creates a barrier that keeps the potatoes from sticking to the sides.
• Check at 2 hours and add a splash more water if it looks dry. The dough absorbs a lot of liquid.

Variations

• Layer in shredded cooked chicken between the potatoes for a heartier, meat-filled version.
• Add sliced onions between the layers for extra flavor.
• Use chicken broth instead of water for a richer, more savory pot pie.