Potato Haystack is a potato, beef and dairy casserole recipe popular in the North American Amish community.
Ingredients vary somewhat by recipe, but the base is usually potato, sour cream, ground beef, milk and onion.
Despite the “country-style” implications of the name Amish, the dish draws on some fast food ingredients such as packages of ranch dressing mix, taco seasoning mix, processed cheese, and chips — either crushed tortilla chips or crushed potato chips.
Preparation varies slightly by recipe, but generally, you fry up the minced beef with the chopped onion, mix it with cooked, shredded potato, and put it in a casserole dish, layering it with a ranch dressing preparation. You then top with a cheese sauce, and bake. It’s topped with the crushed chips when it comes out of the oven.
Some versions just have you make two layers: one of beef, and one of potatoes mixed with the ranch dressing.
You may find it necessary to cut in half ingredients for recipes for Potato Haystack that come your way, because as with many Amish recipes, the presumption is often made that you want to prepare vast quantities.