Mashed Potato Pancakes

With American Thanksgiving this week, I wanted to give our neighbours to the south a little inspiration for what to do with all those leftovers. They’ll need to fuel up for Black Friday door-crashers.

These Mashed Potato Pancakes are the absolute best way to repurpose those leftover mashed potatoes. That is, if you have any left over. I think mashed potatoes are the universal favourite holiday side.

As you know, I like to mix things up, I’ve experimented with plenty of different recipes for this holiday standby. From all of my experimentation, my perennial favourite is this recipe with sautéed leeks and pine nuts.

That version of mashed potatoes makes for a great base to these mashed potato pancakes. The leeks and pine nuts add another dimension to the recipe. If you use this recipe as your base, omit the scallions called for in the recipe below.

Even if you’re here in Canada and not planning to make an enormous feast this Thursday, maybe you can employ this recipe on Boxing Day or enjoy it after a Friendsgiving celebration.

I served these up the day after Canadian Thanksgiving back in early October. I made them in place of hashbrowns/hash with my breakfast. They are truly divine.

While I won’t be digging into these again until after Christmas, I will need to find a way to fuel up for Black Friday sales. Although, I think most of my shopping will be happening online and won’t require more effort than a few clicks of the mouse – so I probably won’t need to carb-load.

Since I’ve been doing some renovations in my new condo (which will all be revealed on the blog once they are said and done), my gifting budget will be a bit reduced this year. I’m hoping to unearth some awesome finds on Black Friday.

I’m big on “I listen when you talk” gifts. I want to show my friends and family that I care about them by buying them treasures, big or small, that trigger a memory we’ve shared or demonstrate that I know them.

On the other side of the equation, I know that buying gifts for me can be a bit anxiety-inducing. I’ll be posting more gift guides in the lead-up to Christmas, which should hopefully serve as a bit of inspiration for anyone shopping for me, or others in your life who share my tastes/interests/hobbies.

Whether you’re eating big this week, or being reasonable, I wish the best of luck with your Black Friday shopping and hope you find an opportunity to whip up these mashed potato pancakes ASAP!

Mashed Potato Pancakes

5 from 4 votes

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Mashed Potato Pancakes

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

Total Time

18 mins

 

Wondering how to reinvent those leftover mashed potatoes? Remake them into these delicious mashed potato pancakes - perfect in place of hash browns at breakfast. 

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Mashed Potato Pancakes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups chilled leftover mashed potatoes
• 1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped scallions, green and white parts (omit if using sautéed leeks and pine nut mashed potatoes as base)
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for
• vegetable oil for pan-frying
• sour cream for serving
• chives chopped, for serving

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese, scallions, egg and 1.5 tablespoons of flour until combined. Using your hands, divide the mixture into 6-8 portions. Roll each portion into a compact ball then flatten it into a pancake about a 1/2-inch-thick.
2. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a shallow dish and carefully dredge each pancake in the flour.
3. Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. (Add enough oil to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan.)
4. Fry the pancakes, in batches, until they're golden brown and crispy on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Add more oil to the pan as needed between batches. (Do not overcrowd the pan and do not flip the pancakes too soon or they won't develop a crisp crust.) Transfer the pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with salt.
5. Serve the potato pancakes topped with sour cream and garnished with additional chopped scallions.

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from: Senyei, Kelly. "Cheesy Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes." Just a Taste. November 2013.