I love mashed potatoes, which is one reason that I always make such a big batch when I fix them. But what to do with the leftovers? Sure, you can always reheat them for another meal, but they just don’t taste as good after being reheated (I think it’s because the texture changes). So what I do is turn them into potato pancakes.

There are lots of recipes out there for making potato pancakes but very few start with mashed potato leftovers. This is my variation of a recipe I found in an old cookbook and then modified to make things easier.

Ingredients:

  • mashed potatoes
  • onion, grated
  • whole wheat flour
  • wheat bran
  • extra virgin olive oil
  1. I start with my leftover mashed potatoes. When I mash potatoes I add salt-free butter, a little salt, 1% milk, onion powder, Mrs. Dash Table Blend, cayenne pepper, and a little parsley. With all that in the potatoes already I don’t add any other seasonings when I’m making the potato pancakes.
  2. Grate the onions very fine. How much will depend upon how many potatoes you have and how much onion you like. I use about 1 small onion for roughly 1 1/2 cups of potatoes.
  3. Add 3 tablespoons of whole wheat flour for every cup of potatoes that you have. The flour binds the pancakes together.
  4. Add a tablespoon or two of the wheat bran to enhance the amount of fiber in the pancakes.
  5. Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
  6. You can cook the pancakes in a large skillet (I have a big cast iron one that I use for smaller batches), or on a flat-top griddle when you’re making a big batch.
  7. Generously coat the cooking surface with the olive oil and when it is hot enough to fry an egg, spoon some of the potato pancake mix on.
  8. I make mine about 3″ in diameter. I’ve found that size to work best. If you make them too big then the edges get over done and the middle is undercooked.
  9. When they are golden brown on one side flip them over and let them brown on the other.
  10. Remove them and place them on a paper towel to soak up excess oil. If you are making a big batch you might want to place them on a cookie sheet in a warm oven while you are preparing the rest of the pancakes.

Serve them as a side item at breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They also make a great snack.

Enjoy!