Leftover Potato Pancakes

Guestwhirl for St. Pat’s! Reader Melissa sends us another great potato recipe (Previous: Twice Baked Potatoes)

I don’t know if anyone else out there is like me, but there are certain foods, whenever I cook them I inevitably make too much. Potatoes are one of these foods for me. Well, after making about twice as much mashed potatoes as I needed for dinner the night before, I though there had to be something else that could be done with these extras thenjust leaving them in the fridge to be thrown out next week. Tying into some research I was doing for some new St. Patrick’s Day recipes, I stumbled across a traditional Irish side dish that was just what I was looking for. I took elements from a few recipes I found and put my own spin on them, and in a short time had recycled my leftovers into something quite yummy.

Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes

1 lb Leftover Mashed Potato
1 Egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped Parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil, for frying

(click a photo to see larger)

In a bowl, combine potatoes and egg, mixing well. Add all remaining ingredients except oil and continue mixing. Add oil to large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Using a large spoon, or an ice cream scooper, scoop out portions of potato mix and flatten in 1/2-ish thickness. Place flattened cakes into hot oil and brown on each side, 5-8 minutes per side (depending on thickness). Place cooked pancakes on plate with paper towels. If you are cooking pancakes in batches, place plate with cooked pancakes in 250 degree over to keep warm until ready to serve.

The results were delicious, but the last few I cooked were a bit extra crispy. It seems, as you work through your batch and your oil level decreases, you need to turn down the heat slightly also to keep from over-cooking the pancakes. The flavor of the fresh herbs really turned these potatoes into something more.

About Melissa: “When I am not organizing cyber-clutter as a database administrator, I am changing diapers and taking care of my adorable daughter at our home in the Atlanta metro area. My food journey started as so many do, with my mother and trying to imitate her art in the kitchen. Now that my cooking skills have grown legs, I am branching out and trying some of my own edible experiments.”