Mashed potatoes…how can something so good the first day be so bad by the next? Well, technically the answer has to do with starch content, cellular structure, and the fact that God just intended us to eat mashed potatoes when they’re hot, dangit.
We’re not sure what overcomes us, but we always make too many mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. Did we really think that each dinner guest could consume the mashed equivalent of four whole potatoes? Yes. Yes we did. And they can’t. So we’ve had to be pretty creative in coming up with uses for leftover smashers:
SAVORY POTATO CHEESE PANCAKES: Potato pancakes are kinda the obvious choice for leftover mashed potatoes. Kick it up a notch with cheese. Simply combine 3 cups of potatoes with a few tablespoons of flour, half a cup of cheese, a dollop of sour cream, parsley or chives, and an egg. Mush together, dredge in a little more flour, and fry ‘em up in some vegetable oil.
MUSHINS: Turn those cold mashers into breakfast muffins. Replace 1/3 of the flour in your favorite corn muffin recipe with mashed potatoes. Add some chopped peppers (green, red or hot.) Bake as usual. (You can check out the breakfast muffin recipe in our new Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook.)
GNOCCHI: Ummm…this one’s almost too easy. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, you’re already half done making gnocchi. Use any recipe online, and of course top it with our Mortgage Lifter Sauce.
CHOCOLATE CAKE: Yep. We said chocolate cake. Swap out 1/3 of the flour with mashed potatoes in your favorite chocolate cake recipe. (Don’t worry if the potatoes have salt. Just use really rich dark chocolate in your recipe, omit any added salt in the recipe, and use unsalted butter.)
CHOWDER: Instead of adding flour to thicken your clam or corn chowder recipe, add mashed potatoes, and stir well.
CARAMELIZED ONION POTATO HAND PIES: We already have this hand-pie recipe on our website. How easy is that? You’re welcome.
MASHALOO: Sounds like the name of a 1970’s Saturday morning cartoon. But actually it’s just adding garam masala spices, lemon zest, curry and cayenne pepper to your mashed potatoes. Sometimes leftovers are easier to finish if you just change the flavor completely.
SHEPHERDS PIE: We probably don’t need to remind you that this is a mashed potato option. But just in case you forgot, we didn’t.
JAPANESE SALAD: To your mashed potatoes, add some wasabi mayonnaise, rice vinegar, chopped steamed carrots, chopped hardboiled egg, chopped cucumber, chopped cooked ham & sesame seeds. Serve chilled.
CRAB CAKES: Substitute mashed potatoes for half of the crackers/panko/breadcrumbs called for in your favorite crab cake recipe.
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES: When heating the cream to make truffle filling, dissolve some mashed potatoes in with it before adding chocolate. Adds a great texture.
POTATO-STUFFED MEATLOF: You serve potatoes with meatloaf, right? Why not serve them in meatloaf? Fill your meatloaf tin halfway with meat mixture, add mashed potoatoes (leaving an inch border,) cover with remaining meat mixture, and bake as usual.
(Check out our “hacks” for leftover cranberry sauce and leftover stuffing.)
Do you have some of your own great ideas for using up mashed potatoes? Share them in the comment section…