Rappie Pie — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A dense, savoury casserole of grated potatoes with all starch squeezed out, layered with seasoned chicken and baked until golden — the pride of Acadian Nova Scotia.

Ingredients

5kg potatoes, peeled
1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg)
2 large onions, diced
1 litre chicken broth (from boiling the chicken)
100g butter
Salt and black pepper
Savoury (herb)

Instructions

1 Boil the whole chicken in salted water until tender. Remove chicken and reserve the broth.
2 Shred the chicken meat, discarding bones and skin.
3 Grate potatoes finely. Squeeze out all starch and liquid through cheesecloth — this is crucial.
4 Replace the squeezed-out liquid with an equal volume of hot chicken broth. Mix thoroughly.
5 Butter a large baking pan. Layer half the potato mixture, then chicken and onions, then remaining potato.
6 Dot top with butter. Bake at 200C (400F) for 2-2.5 hours until deeply golden and crispy on top.

Did You Know?

Making rappie pie is a community event in Acadian villages — families gather to grate the enormous quantity of potatoes needed, which can take hours.