For me, one of the best parts of a holiday feast comes the next day: conjuring creative ideas for using up the leftovers sitting in the fridge. Sure, you can whip up a leftover-laden sandwich or casserole, but when it comes to that batch of creamy mashed potatoes, you want something different.
You worked hard and took extra care to make sure the potatoes came out perfectly smooth and not gummy, so now you want to reuse them in a recipe that preserves all that perfection. Lots of ways to use up leftover mashed potatoes exist, but we can’t get over the crispy skin, fluffy center, rich bite and herbaceous flavor of these leftover mashed potato pancakes. We’ll show you how to make potato pancakes from mashed potatoes.
Ingredients for Mashed Potato Pancakes
- Egg white: Since we’re also using all-purpose flour, you’ll need only one egg white to bind together the leftover mashed potato pancakes.
- Mashed potatoes: We’ve discovered how to make potato pancakes from leftover mashed potatoes, so you don’t have to whip up a fresh batch just for this recipe. Just make sure your mashed potatoes already contain butter and milk. Our traditional mashed potatoes recipe contains both ingredients and makes the perfect holiday dish!
- All-purpose flour: To keep these potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes from falling apart in the skillet, we bind them together with all-purpose flour and a bit of egg white.
- Green onion: Chopped green onions are added for their pungent flavor and to give these pancakes a gorgeous pop of green.
- Parsley: We freshen the flavor of these rich, heavy pancakes with bright parsley. We love the gorgeous green hue the parsley imparts too.
- Butter and cooking spray: Butter-flavored cooking spray and a bit of actual butter prevent the pancakes from sticking to the skillet and promote a golden, crispy exterior.
Directions
Step 1: Create the pancake mixture
In a small bowl, stir together the lightly beaten egg white, mashed potatoes, all-purpose flour, chopped green onion, minced parsley, salt and pepper until well combined.
Step 2: Drop the pancakes
In a large nonstick skillet coated with butter-flavored cooking spray, melt the butter over medium heat. Drop the potato mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into the skillet, pressing lightly to flatten.
Step 3: Cook the pancakes
Cook the mashed potato pancakes over medium heat until golden brown, four to five minutes on each side.
Step 4: Serve the mashed potato pancakes
Serve the pancakes warm with your favorite toppings as desired.
Recipe Variations
- Coat with bread crumbs: Make your potato pancakes extra crispy with a bread crumb coating. Shape the potato pancakes, coat them in plain bread crumbs and fry the pancakes in 1/2-inch oil until golden brown, two to three minutes on each side. You will need to work in batches so the oil doesn’t drop too much in temperature.
- Add more herbs: Brighten the flavor of these pancakes with fresh herbs. Chives, dill, tarragon, rosemary or sage would work in these pancakes. Even a little lemon zest grated into the pancake mix will brighten the flavor.
- Make it cheesy: In my book, cheese and potatoes go hand in hand. Sprinkle shredded cheddar, Colby Jack or a Mexican blend into the pancake batter. Tangy feta is nice too.
How to Store Mashed Potato Pancakes
Cool your potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes completely to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Mashed potatoes can last only up to four days after being made, so calculate that amount of time into how long you can store your leftover mashed potato pancakes.
How do you reheat mashed potato pancakes?
Reheat leftover mashed potato pancakes in a skillet with olive oil over medium-low heat until they’re warmed through. You could also heat them in the microwave, but they may not be as crispy.
Mashed Potato Pancake Tips
How long can you save leftover mashed potatoes?
If your leftover mashed potatoes have been around for more than four days, toss them. You have a four-day window from the day the mashed potatoes were whipped to make and eat these mashed potato pancakes. For example, if you make these pancakes the day after the mashed potatoes are made, you can keep leftover mashed potato pancakes for three more days.
How do you serve mashed potato pancakes?
The best way to serve these leftover mashed potato pancakes is with cheese, sour cream, hot sauce and chopped chives. They also make the perfect vessel for your other leftover holiday foods. Warm up turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing or green beans, then pile them on these pancakes like an open-faced sandwich and dig in.
Serve these potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes alongside other new ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers. Try the pancakes with our super easy turkey tortilla soup, this stunning turkey lattice pie or, if your body is screaming for vegetables, this BLT turkey salad.
