Mashed Potato Pancakes

Equally good for breakfast lunch or dinner

Leftover mashed potatoes usually don’t last long in our house. This year though we had a either a surprising amount of willpower or an extra large batch. We were inspired by this recipe over at Just A Taste. We had these as a hearty breakfast, but they’d be better as a base with grilled sausage, steak or duck. It’s worth making mashed potatoes to whip these up.

Mashed Potato Pancakes

• 4 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 cup sharp cheddar (or a mix of cheddar and Gruyere)
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 green onions finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup flour, plus 3-4 tbsp
• vegetable oil for pan frying
• Strained Greek yogurt* or sour cream

Mix potatoes, cheese, onion and bacon in a large bowl. Stir in egg and three tablespoons of flour. If the mix is still too wet to form a ball with your hands, then add a tablespoon of flour. Place the remaining flour in a pie pan for dredging. Heat about a quarter cup of oil in a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Form half inch balls and flatten into a pancake. Dredge each ball in flour and place in oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry in batches until each side is golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Serve pancakes with sour cream or yogurt.

*To strain yogurt, place desired amount of plain or Greek yogurt (we used a half cup of nonfat Greek) in a mesh strainer over a bowl, cover and drain in the refrigerator for about five hours or overnight. Discard excess liquid.