A Maryland Classic: White Potato Pie
A few weeks ago, I was browsing through some of my old community cookbooks for a new dessert to make for the family when I came across one odd-sounding recipe that really caught my eye—White Potato Pie. I’ve had plenty of sweet potato pie, including the one my momma baked every Thanksgiving, but I had never heard of white potato pie, much less tasted one. After reading the recipe, I was so intrigued that I felt compelled to learn more about its origin before attempting it.
Potato pies existed in England as early as the 17th century. They often mixed savory ingredients with sweet elements like raisins, dates, spices, spirits, and even bone marrow. Recipes in English cookbooks of that period, such as Robert May’s The Accomplisht Cook (1671) and Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (1747), included several variations of potato pie.
Most historians believe that potato pies in America trace back to early European settlers. In the Southern United States, the tradition evolved into sweet potato pie, developed within the African American community, where enslaved cooks adapted their culinary traditions to include the familiar root vegetable. After emancipation, when African Americans gained greater access to kitchens and better ingredients, sweet potato pie became a beloved staple throughout the South.
The origin of white potato pie is somewhat murky. Some historians suggest it grew out of Maryland’s early 1800s agricultural history, as a way for English colonists to make the most of abundant potato harvests. Others believe it began as a method to use leftover potatoes—a “poor man’s dessert”—made from simple, inexpensive ingredients.
Whatever the case, white potato pie has been a cherished Maryland dessert, particularly on the Eastern Shore, for generations. It remains a common treat not only during the holiday season but also at family gatherings and church suppers.
One of the first recorded mentions of the dish appeared in Mary Randolph’s 1824 cookbook The Virginia Housewife. In a note following her recipe for “sweet potato pudding” she wrote: “Irish potato pudding is made in the same manner, but not as good.” In spite of Randolph’s lukewarm opinion, white potato pie recipes went on to appear in both community and commercial cookbooks across Maryland and the Chesapeake region.
White potato pie is made much like sweet potato pie, with many of the same ingredients—butter, sugar, eggs, condensed milk, and nutmeg. Some bakers brighten the flavor with a touch of lemon juice, and vanilla. Because potatoes are the star of the show, it’s important to use the right kind: the russet. Russets are ideally suited to white potato pie because they mash up light, creamy, and fluffy, unlike waxy varieties that don’t yield the same smooth texture.
So there you have it. While sweet potato pie may be the soul-food dessert of the South, white potato pie is the queen of soul-food for Marylanders and the East Shore, with recipes handed down from generation to generation. As for me, I can’t wait to bake one of these odd-sounding pies for my family. Who knows? We just may have found a new holiday favorite.
