Meet Potatoes Delmonico: The Classic Steakhouse Side Dish That's Older Than The Civil War

It wasn't long after Delmonico's, the storied Manhattan restaurant owned by Swiss brothers Giovanni and Pietro Delmonico, opened its doors at 56 Beaver Street in 1837 that they began serving a side dish to their famed Delmonico steak, an aged, boneless top sirloin. The dish was simply called potatoes Delmonico, a creamy, cheesy potato casserole traditionally made using cubed potatoes that, like the steak, became a sensation across the country. The original recipe contained potatoes, milk and cream, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, white pepper, and salt (and possibly breadcrumbs). 

In fact, the restaurant can lay claim to many culinary firsts, from being cited as America's first true fine dining establishment to the creation of the classic wedge salad, lobster Newburgh, and baked Alaska. It soon became the go-to spot for the rich and famous, including the writer Mark Twain and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (it was even his favorite restaurant). 

With that kind of reputation, the Delmonico name carried such prestige that chefs across the country emulated the eatery and began using the name (sometimes indiscriminately) for various dishes, including versions of the steak and the potato casserole. But without the original recipes, the dishes changed and their history became clouded. As far back as 1878, a newspaper's recipe for "Potatoes A Delmonico" described tiny potato balls cooked in butter with salt — a far cry from those cubed spuds cooked in milk and cream. Today, you'll find a variety of recipes alleging they're the real deal, but they often include ingredients like rice and cheddar cheese.

There are some mysteries surrounding potatoes Delmonico, including exactly who came up with the dish for the famed restaurant. It may have been John Lux, who was maitre de cuisine at the restaurant in the 1830s. But it appears Alessandro (Alexander) Filippini, who began as a cook in 1849 and would go on to work at Delmonico's for nearly 40 years, was the first to put the recipe in print. Interestingly, in his "Delmonico Cook Book" published in 1890, he includes a recipe for a dish he simply calls "Hashed Potatoes with Cream au Gratin" that uses cubed, or hashed, potatoes that are sautéed with cream and butter, mixed with Parmesan cheese, covered in breadcrumbs, and then baked until browned on top.

Then nearly two decades later, in his "The International Cookbook" published in 1907, the dish appears under the title "Delmonico Potatoes," but no longer includes a sprinkling of breadcrumbs on top. Which of Fillippini's two recipes is the original Delmonico's version is anyone's guess. 

To add to the confusion, by 1916, some cookbooks had begun to list both recipes, as potatoes Delmonico No. 1 and No. 2, with the second one containing breadcrumbs. So if you decide to make this dish, you can either forgo the breadcrumbs or not, but if you want to stay true to its origins, at least stay away from cheddar cheese and rice.