I rocked Pup Daddy's world this week. Yep, I made Potato Turbate. Many of you will ask, "What the heck is Potato Turbate?" But those of you who attended Pinellas County Schools know. For some reason the school cafeterias decided to call their Shepherd's Pie recipe Potato Turbate. Everyone I know has fond memories of it. In fact, when I worked for PCS I would be sure to put in my order early in the morning on Potato Turbate day to make sure I got mine. Pup Daddy has such fond memories of lunch in the school cafeteria, he has had a long time dream of opening a restaurant called, "School Food." Customers would line up, pick up their small carton of milk and be served the meal of the day by women in hairnets. Be careful, if you're too slow or talking too much you will get yelled at. Of course, the best meal on School Food's menu...Potato Turbate.I found this recipe online in an article from the St. Petersburg Times. I tweaked it a bit, and it honestly tasted just like I remember. You should try it for some easy, yummy comfort food!
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup onions, chopped
2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp pepper
1 ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp water
1/2 cup beef stock
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 tsp paprika
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown beef and onions lightly in a saute pan. Drain off and discard fat. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce garlic powder and onion powder to pan. Cook five minutes. Mix flour and water and stir into meat. Add beef stock or beef extract combined with water.
Put ground beef mixture in the bottom of a 9x11 pan. Top with cheese and then potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 for ½ hour until lightly browned.
It looks exactly like I remember it.
ReplyDeleteI may have to give this a try.
So does "Pup Daddy" help in the kitchen?
Not to change the subject but I loved what they made and called pizza in school back in the day. Also loved the potatoe turbate. Odd name...
DeleteI ate it 55 yrs ago at St Margarets
DeletePup Daddy doesn't usually help with the cooking, but he always does the dishes!!!
ReplyDeleteThere is a restaurant in Ashland,Ky.called Cheddars that has it on their menu and they top it with fried onions
ReplyDeleteit is excellent
I wonder how many times I ate Potato Turbate at the old Oak Grove Junior High between 1966-69? It was a wretched name for some delicious stuff.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many times I ate Potato Turbate at the old Oak Grove Junior High between 1966-69? It was a wretched name for some delicious stuff.
ReplyDeleteI went to Bauder Elementary and Seminole Middle School and that was my favorite with the rolls ...I make it to this day!! Ate nothing else lol
DeleteWe call this Shepherd's Pie.
ReplyDeleteMexican Pizza was my second favorite meal. Potato Turbate was number 1.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Mexican Pizza. I sprinkled lettuce on top. It was soooo good!!
DeleteWow! Went to Azalea Elementary in the early 60s . Loved this with 90 minute rolls!
ReplyDeleteHey, me too. I've been looking for this recipe for a long time. Thank a bunch for putting it out there, now how about the pizza?
DeleteI went to Azalea in the 60's as well!
DeleteGoing to make tonight can not wait my taste buds have craved this for years. Always looked forward to it at Kings Highway Elem. Clearwater High and Dunedin High.
ReplyDeleteOmg,finally!I went to Blanton Elementary and Pinellas Park Middle School(1973-1981) in Pinellas Park and now live in Pa.I have been looking for a potato turbate recipe for years!Remember how amazing the school and cafeteria smelled on the days they made this
ReplyDeletealso With their fresh baked bread?
Omgosh,can't wait to make this for my family tonight.Thanks��
This is too funny!!!!! I just flew in from Dallas and made my request for potato turbate to my mother. I attended Hillsboro county schools, my mom taught there too, my Dad coached at oak grove in early 60's and moved on to various schools in pinellas and hillsboro county. Just sayin, we like our potato turbate. Thanks for the memories!
ReplyDeleteWhat was your Dad's name? I went to Oak Grove!
DeleteI was trying to explain this to my family, and no one had heard of it. I didn't realize it was so regional! It is not the same as Shepard's pie, although that is tasty. What a great memory thank you! I'm going to make it this week.
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious! I made shepherd's pie last night for dinner, and I was just commenting to my husband this morning how it reminds me of potato turbate. We both attended Pinellas County schools, K-12. In fact, he was my high school sweet heart. We met when we were 12, and have been married 35 years. I adore your idea of a school cafeteria restaurant. That would be sooooooo funny.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, love the whippets. I have a greyhound. Sight hounds have the best temperaments!
Best school lunch of all time! I would trade my desserts or anything else i had for extra at lunchtime. Grew up in Gulfport Fl. And went to Blanton Elem, Gulfport Elem, Disston Middle and Boca Ciega High School. Found this version about 10 years ago online and my whole family goes nuts on Potato Turbate night. Thank you for the memory and the taste from my past. And my familys future. Making it tonight as a matter of fact... Can't wait. Kimberly VanPelt- Clem
ReplyDeleteBest school lunch of all time! I would trade my desserts or anything else i had for extra at lunchtime. Grew up in Gulfport Fl. And went to Blanton Elem, Gulfport Elem, Disston Middle and Boca Ciega High School. Found this version about 10 years ago online and my whole family goes nuts on Potato Turbate night. Thank you for the memory and the taste from my past. And my familys future. Making it tonight as a matter of fact... Can't wait. Kimberly VanPelt- Clem
ReplyDeleteBest school lunch of all time! I would trade my desserts or anything else i had for extra at lunchtime. Grew up in Gulfport Fl. And went to Blanton Elem, Gulfport Elem, Disston Middle and Boca Ciega High School. Found this version about 10 years ago online and my whole family goes nuts on Potato Turbate night. Thank you for the memory and the taste from my past. And my familys future. Making it tonight as a matter of fact... Can't wait. Kimberly VanPelt- Clem
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely YUMMY!! Always LOVED when it was on the school menu at Meadowlawn Jr. High and NEHI!! I can taste and smell it even now...thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!!
ReplyDeleteMe too! Meadowlawn and NEHI were the best
Deleteoh my goodness thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! My father and I were just reminiscing about our best dish that Dunedin high School! Coach Robert Peet and daughter Janet Denise Peet fondly remember potato tutbste... can't wait to make this for Dad.
ReplyDeleteLol. Coach peeeeeeeeet!
DeleteCoach Peet!!! I had him at DHS and so did both of my parents!❤️ Hope he’s well!
DeleteCant wait to have this again. Mom made it all the time. Great in school. Kings Hwy Elementary. Dunedin middle and high. Class of 87. Loved this dish
ReplyDeleteMade Potato Turbae tonight,so so good. Which I had those homemade rolls that was served. My other favorites @ Wildwood Elementary was the pizza (who has that recipe) peanut butter bars & the mac & cheese was delicious. When food was cooked with love.
ReplyDeleteGo to the website whipporwill holler, she worked in the cafteria. She has recipe for peanut butter bars that were delish
DeleteThe best school lunch ever, I went to Starkey Elementary. Still make it to this day. No one up North knows what it is
ReplyDeleteMy husband kept talking about this so I finally googled and your recipe /article comes up....he lived/went to pinellas county schools (Lealman & northeast high 1954-67) thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAttended Starkey El. 64-69, ate a ton of turbate, the best lunch!
ReplyDeleteAttended 74st. Elementary in St. Pete late 60s. I remember potato turbate & John Marzetti the best school lunches ever
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for publishing this “official” recipe. Over the years I have made this dish, but had to do my own version, because I didn’t know the exact recipe for potato turbate. I have a friend that’s British, and she told me how she made shepherds pie, which sounded very similar. In fact, I just made it last night for dinner for my grandchildren, before I discovered this recipe today. I graduated from Dixie Hollins high school, in 1965. It was my favorite on the menu for all of my years in the Pinellas County school system. I have lived in Nebraska since 1979, (and Europe) but never forgot Potato Turbate, and how much I looked forward to having it on the lunch menu. Loved reading the comments and so glad others have good memories of those days and this marvelous food. I hope the kids in the school systems of St. Petersburg are still getting this food. It makes a great memory and taste so good!!! Class of 1965! Rebecca Derrenberger Deese
ReplyDeleteI make mine almost exactly the same, except I add either frozen mixed vegetables or a can of corn and a can of green beans or peas. I use 6 serving portion of instant mashed potatoes or you can use homemade. Also you can play around and change the shredded cheese to whatever you like. You can also change up the seasonings to your liking. I even saw somebody comment that they substituted a can of tomato soup for the beef stock. I've never tried that. My family absolutely loves this and I rarely have leftovers. Anyway, thanks for the memory! I went to Lealman Middle school (8 grade) in 1978 and then Northeast HS
ReplyDeleteI went to Mirror Lake Jr. High in St.Pete and don't remember ever having this! But it's on the menu for tonight.....can't wait!!!
ReplyDeleteWe had this in junior high and I loved it, but it did not include cheese. It was always served with a chewy dessert bar. I really would love that recipe. I’ve tried every recipe online that is similar and none have the dense chewiness of those desert bars.
ReplyDeleteI also am looking for the recipe for those dessert bars. They were my favorite. Like you I have made every recipe online that seemed remotely similar and none compare to those dessert bars. I wish I had looked at the school menu back then to know what they called them.
DeleteShout out to tarpon elementary. Went through a 2001 lunch menu and someone asked what this was.
ReplyDeleteYeah the Mexican pizza was the best and the sweet and sour sauce hit different back then. We also got blue bell ice cream the same year, swear it was like an entire pint so we couldn’t pass it up for $1.25
Tyrone Elem and Middle. Late 70s and 80s. Love it!
ReplyDeleteIt’s crazy to come across this. I’m 39 years old and my mother was a cafeteria school manager at Oakhurst elementary, and Seminole high School. Miss Mae O’Grady. I grew up eating this and still make this with my family. So simple and delicious!
ReplyDeleteMy fav at Largo Jr High... also pronto pups.
ReplyDeleteone of my favorites at Mildred helms Elementary
ReplyDeleteAs a proud graduate of San Jose Elementary School, (circa 1972), I remember Potato Turbate very well. I also remember every time the grass was being cut we had spinach on the menu. Was this a coincidence??
ReplyDeleteLoved this dish at Dixie Hollins High in 1980. Also loved their chocolate shakes and famous cinnamon rolls!!
ReplyDeleteShore Acres, Riviera and Northeast, met hubby at NE Everyone loved Potato Turbate. Going to make for dinner tonight, fond memories
ReplyDeleteThis was my favorite lunch at Kings Highway elementary!! I would buy a double lunch so I could get an extra serving. just an extra 35 cents in the early 70s
ReplyDeletePotatoe Turbate. My family makes fun of the name but love the dish. My adult daughters call it Shepards Pie. But if you grew up in St Pete you knew what potatoe turbate was. Best lunch. 74st Elem 1958-1960( 4th-6th grade Mr Greenleaf). Azalea Jr High 1960-1963. Dixie Hollins 1964-68. Joyce Haworth Thomas
ReplyDeleteLove it went to jfk in Clearwater fl in the 70’s love it
ReplyDeleteI ate this in school all through the 70s but do not remember cheese in this dish.
ReplyDeleteOmg. I went to Pasadena Elementary. They redid the grades and I then went to Azalea Middle School and Boca Ciega High School. Always loved the potato turbate. I live in Tennessee now. Can’t tell you how many memories you’ve just brought back.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this at Meadowlawn Jr. High and loved their pizza too back in the late 60s.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm trying to explain this casserole to my husband calling it potato turbate and him not knowing what I'm talking about. Making fun of me like I don't know what I'm talking about! We go to school Google and here you are! I'm a born and raised St. Pete kid and I knew for sure I had it right because they said it on the news every week. I love this for us!
ReplyDelete