Mashed Potato Pancakes.
Or… What In Tarnation Do I Do With All Those Mashed Potatoes On Friday?
Or even… Boring Recipes That Turn Out To Be Something Amazing.
(I like the second one better.)
There are a few meals my mom made that screamed “comfort food”. Certain meals that I can remember sitting down at the table to eat on cold, crisp nights. One of them was pot roast with egg noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy. Another was egg sandwiches with fried, chipped ham. And one of my favorites were these mashed potato pancakes.
She made these on nights when my dad wasn’t home for dinner because it was never really something he would go for. I can still remember exactly how delicious they smelled frying away on the stovetop.
Yesterday I asked her how she made them. I was fairly certain she didn’t just form plain old mashed potatoes into a patty.
Well, she almost did. She added a sprinkling of flour, then formed them into patties. And I chirped, “then you just fried them in butter, right?”
She laughed. Her next words were music to my ears. “Um, no… I fried them in bacon grease.”
Hey, at least you all know where I come from.
Would you believe that up until five years ago, I thought these were the only potato pancakes that existed? In fact, the first time I ordered potato pancakes at a restaurant and was served the latke version, I was disappointed. Those sure are tasty, but they are nothing like these. However, discovering the latkes were a relief… because I really couldn’t figure out how one ate applesauce or sour cream on a potato pancake like the ones here.
These just taste like home. The outsides are crispy and the insides fluffy. You can add toppings or dipping sauces. You can add tasty treats mixed throughout the pancakes. They make a fun side dish when mashed potatoes are getting old.
Mashed Potato Pancakes
serves 2
2 cups mashed potatoes
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons bacon grease, butter or olive oil
Sprinkle flour on mashed potatoes, add in any mix-in’s and form into patties that are about 1 inch thick.
Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Add your fat of choice and let it heat for 30 seconds. Add patties and let brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side.
As expected, Mr. How Sweet covered his in ketchup.
126 Comments on “Mashed Potato Pancakes.”
I die for latke pancakes with applesauce, so I would LOVE these. What a perfect use for leftover ‘taters.
I’ve never had potato pancakes! And only 3 ingredients? I think I can do this one! I think I can, I think I can…
What a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes! (As if there are ever any mashed taters left over ;D) I’d love this fried in olive oil with rosemary and sea salt for <3 yum.
Now this is what I call comfort food! I love the crispy exterior and I’m sure it’s welcomed by the creamy soft inside! Oh man… I wonder how these would be with sweet potatoes??
These look fantastic. My mom used to make something similar but would make a thin batter crepe and put the mashed potatoes mixed with cheese in it!
Love this idea!! I’m sure it would work great with sweet taters too!
mmm~~sounds really good with the BG!!! we make them with corn and finely diced sweet onion!!! we also fry them in BG!!!!! mud would be good fried in BG!!! or so thats what mom tells me!!!!LOL!!!
I agree with your mom. I’d probably eat mud that was fried in bacon grease.
I still have a drippings can beside my stove…this is exactly how my mom used to make them except she would put in one egg and some diced up onion. We always had these with home made applesauce!
Potatoes and pancakes? Where have I been?
I hope you post a recipe of the egg salad with fried chopped ham. That one sound amazing!
Oh gosh! My mom used to make potato pancakes ALL THE TIME when I was growing up. They were one of my favorites. Always so funny to see other people who know what I’m talking about :)
My dad always used to make those!!!!
I’m totally going to need this recipe on Friday…we have way too much food! Thank you :) Simple recipes that taste like home are best. We had certain foods growing up that my mom would make when my dad was on a business trip. They still feel like special foods!
They’re croquettes just without bread crumbs! We will see if I have any leftover potatoes…
What a genius idea! I just stand at the refrigerator and eat it out of a tupperwear, cold, with a huge spoon.
Pingback: confessions of a food blogger, part VII — Eat, Live, Run
‘What in tarnation…’. Who wrote this post? Yosemite Sam??
So i’m ashamed to say I’ve never had potato pancakes! These look delicious! I can’t wait to try these! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the timely reminder. I’ve rarely made them (just polished off two tonight), but I grew up having them regularly and we put ketchup on them too :)
Made these for lunch today with leftover potatoes from last night…..SO GOOD! I added crumbled bacon, shredded cheese, and a little onion. Oh my goodness! I can’t wait to make mashed potatoes again; and when I do, I’m making extra so we can have these the next day. Or I might just skip the mashed potato stage and go straight for the pancakes! Thanks for sharing!
Your mom and my grandma are two-of-a-kind, in their love of bacon grease. Some dishes just HAVE to me made with it.
these look absolutely amazing lol. I have never tried the mashed style before and I have been craving to cook these babys up lately so I will give this recipe a try tonight!
Making these tonight, can’t wait!!!!
Hope you love them!
Pingback: I Swear Brussel Sprouts Aren’t Gross. | Add Some Sprinkles
I am so happy to see that someone else makes these! We always had these with left over mashed potatoes – but never with a little flour. I bet that holds them together extra nice! I think I’ll give that a try the next time I have some leftovers. Thanks for sharing!
It really does help hold them together, because I made some more last week and didn’t add much flour and they all fell apart!
My momma always makes these after holiday dinners! They’re my favorite! She adds Cavender’s Greek Seasoning to the flour. Yum!
MMM! I was so inspired by your blog post that I just made some mashed sweet potato pancakes. Not to worry, I smothered all potential healthiness with about a gallon of chocolate chips.
YEAH! This is how my mom used to make them, too! I’ve been surfing for something that “looked” right based on what I remember her doing…And this is it! Thank you!!!
Pingback: Things I like this week (vol. 7) | BrittanyandTahn
Making these tonight!! So glad I stumbled upon these!
these are a standing tradition in my family, we just made a batch last night and re fried them for breakfast this morning. We like to use egg, milk and flour with a dash of seasoning salt form into patties an inch thick and fry on both sides till golden brown. The key is patience, they take awhile to brown but they are worth the wait. Here’s our secret
half gallon leftover mashed potatoes
3/4 c milk
3 eggs
4 heaping tlbs all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
lawrys season salt to taste for a little kick. ( be careful too much will ruin the flavor)
fry to golden brown in med saucepan or or griddle
I’m going to make these tonight to go with dinner,for me it will be the main dish.Potatoes should be a food group all by themselves.
Made these tonight with left over mashed potatoes I made that had cream cheese, sour cream, and garlic in them. They were so yummy, I loved the crunch on the outside!
Pingback: Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Salsa | How Sweet It Is
Pingback: Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Salsa. | Lifestyle Pins
Pingback: Day After Thanksgiving Breakfast Hash with Cheddar Mashed Potato Pancakes. | How Sweet It Is
Pingback: Buttermilk Bacon Blue Smashed Potatoes | How Sweet It Is
Pingback: Buttermilk Bacon Blue Smashed Potatoes. | Lifestyle Pins
Pingback: Leftovers Feel the Love: Recipes for After Turkey Day | Farm Flavor
Pingback: Crispy Goat Cheese Risotto Cakes with Vanilla Salted Winter Pears | How Sweet It Is
I made these and they were yummy..I added diced sauteed onions and salt and pepper..AND I hid the Ketchup from my Husband and he still enjoyed them..Thanks
Pingback: Roundup: 10 Ways with Pancakes | Drop Dead Bread
Pingback: 28 Delicious Ways To Cook With Bacon Fat | Sharing Interesting Stuff, Updates News & Free Tips
Pingback: 残ったベーコン脂肪を使う28のうまい方法 | アメリカ最新美味しい~食事!こんな新しいメニュー見たことない!
When I was little, I always asked my Mom to make “too many mashed potatoes” so we could have potato cakes the next night.
So, so delicious! My mama makes these, but with just a bit of egg substitute to bind them and it seems to crisp them up better on the outside. And yes, they are incredible fried in bacon grease. But then, aren’t most things? ;-)
Yummy! I made these with my delicious leftover Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes and added shredded cheese, and they are delicious! Thank you!
I’ve been making these for years. Dad taught us, all boys, how to cook. Now I’ve taught both of my daughters. As others have said, for savory add cheese and onion or onion powder. I like them with maple syrup too.
Pingback: 28 Delicious Ways To Use Leftover Bacon Fat | Your Moms Pants
Pingback: Loaded Irish Cheddar Mashed Potato Pancakes. – Chow Hub
These did NOT work. I choose to blame the mashed potatoes rather than your recipe, but dude – spread and goo.