From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     Well, it's still Lent and some of us are still not eating meat on Fridays, so I am including another recipe that can be used for a meatless Friday dinner. Or, for the rest of you, this could be a side dish.

Leftover Mashed Potato Pancakes
By Thomas Danler
Servings:2

Ingredients:
2 cups mashed potatoes (approximately)
1 -2 egg
1/4 cup flour
salt
pepper
garlic
onion (optional)
chives (optional)
cheese (optional)
oil or Crisco, for frying
sour cream (optional) or applesauce, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1 Mix mashed potatoes, egg, flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and any optional ingredients, into mashed potatoes.
2 Preheat skillet and add a couple of tablespoons of Crisco shortening or oil.
3 Make sure the mixture is not too thin.
4 Pour 1/4 cup batter into hot pan; brown on both sides.
5 Enjoy with sour cream or applesauce.
6 Enjoy!

Or this variation...

CHEESY LEFTOVER MASHED POTATO PANCAKES

yield: ABOUT 12 PANCAKES

prep time: 20 MIN

cook time: 5 MIN

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups chilled leftover mashed potatoes
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped scallions, green and white parts
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoons plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil, for pan-frying
Sour cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese, scallions, egg and 3 tablespoons flour until combined. (See Kelly's Notes.) Using your hands, divide the mixture into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a compact ball then flatten it into a pancake about a 1/2-inch-thick.

Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a shallow dish and carefully dredge each pancake in the flour.

Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. (Add enough oil to thoroughly coat the bottom of the pan.)

Fry the pancakes, in batches, until they're golden brown and crispy on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Add more oil to the pan as needed between batches. (Do not overcrowd the pan and do not flip the pancakes too soon or they won't develop a crisp crust.) Transfer the pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with salt.

Serve the potato pancakes topped with sour cream and garnished with additional chopped scallions.

Kelly's Notes:

All leftover mashed potatoes will vary in consistency depending on how much cream, milk or melted butter you added to the original batch. If the mashed potato pancake mixture looks too dry and isn't holding together, add one more egg. If it looks too wet, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is cohesive.