Mashed Potato Pancakes (with leftover mashed potatoes)

Ingredients

• 2 cups cold leftover mashed potatoes
• ¾ cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (+ additional as needed and for dusting)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• 2 Tablespoons oil (I use avocado oil)
• Preferred toppings (we like sour cream and chives or scallions!)

Steps

1. 1

   Combine mashed potatoes, cheese, egg, 2 Tablespoons flour, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

2. 2

   Dust a baking sheet with flour, scoop potatoes by ¼ cup scoop, and drop onto the pan. Dust the tops of each potato mound generously with flour, then flatten to about ¾” (2cm) to create pancakes. Pancakes should be manageable/firm enough that you can pick them up, if your mashed potatoes are particularly wet you may need to add more flour.

3. 3

   Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium/high heat until it shimmers. Oil should coat the entire bottom of the pan, if you use too little the pancakes will burn and if you use too much the pancakes could be greasy.

4. 4

   Once oil is heated, carefully add potato pancakes to the frying pan (I do this in batches, spacing the pancakes about 2”/5cm apart) and cook until golden brown on one side. Flip the pancake and cook until golden brown on both sides. Cook until heated through (you can use an instant read thermometer to ensure the pancakes are heated to at least 165F).

5. 5

   Remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack or a paper towel lined plate. Enjoy while warm, topping with whatever you like (we love sour cream and chives!).