Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

My sister and her husband brought the mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. They went through all the work of peeling potatoes for 16 of us, cooking, mashing, and adding whatever secret ingredients they mixed in to make them taste delicious.

But they made one crucial error. They left their pot -- complete with the leftover mashed potatoes -- at my house when they left for the night. I know that the polite thing to do would have been to take them over to their house or at least call before I used them up. But I didn't do the polite thing. Instead, I happily cooked them up into some yummy potato pancakes.

Mashing the potatoes and forming them into pancakes.
These pancakes would be perfect for brunch, as a side dish, or even as the base of a quick meal. Served with a fried egg on top and some leftover Brussels sprouts, they made an excellent little lunch.

There is a wide variety of things that you can add to the mashed potatoes to make these pancakes. I added red onion, parsley, and rosemary because that's what I had on hand. But any combination of a member of the onion family with some fresh herbs would work. You could also add cheese. I debated adding some grated parmesan, but because I made these in the shadow of a huge Thanksgiving meal, I decided to skip it.

In case you are lucky enough to still have some mashed potatoes in your refrigerator, here's what I did.

Second Helping: Caldo Verde (Portugese Kale and Potato Soup)A quick supper.

Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

Makes approximately 8 pancakes
15 minutes preparation time
10 minutes cooking time

2 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg
2 tablespoons minced red onion or scallions
2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, rosemary, and/or sage
salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil for frying

With a fork or masher, mash the potatoes in a medium-sized bowl. Taste for seasoning. Add the egg, red onion, herbs, and, if you like some salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 2-3 inch pancakes.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and brush it with canola oil. Cook the pancakes until they are golden brown, turning once, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Kids can help mash potatoes, mix ingredients together, and form the pancakes. Older children can also chop onions and herbs.

Print Recipe

Comments

[Sandy]

Yummy!! My mom use to always make these for breakfast when I was a kid. I think I'm going to have to use up our left over mash potatoes in the same way this weekend.

[Betsy at Zen Mama]

Yum! I am a potato-aholic! These look just delicious. I think they'd make a great hors deuvre for a party with a sourcream/chive dipping sauce.