I'm sure you've solved this by now, but I just saw your post. My great-great-aunt used lard (ewwwww) and my grandmother used Crisco. Butter was "too dear" as they put it. To be honest with you, I never really tasted the difference - at least not when I was little.
It's not quite the same, but I have a recipe for chicken divan that calls for crumbs made with butter for the top. I usually just pour bread crumbs over it & spray with olive oil. We think it tastes great.
But maybe we're just weird?