Are you ready to dig in to the fluffiest Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe? The perfect use for leftover mashed potatoes during the holiday season, and ready in 17 minutes from start to finish!

Mashed Potato Cakes

‘Tis the season for mashed potatoes.

There’s just something about the holidays (or is it winter in general?) that makes me crave creamy whipped spuds with fierce regularity.

Aside from these normal seasonal related potato cravings, my mother is visiting from Japan. She’s been such an advocate for eating potatoes with every meal for the past month-and-a-half that we’ve taken to calling her Madame French Fry, ha!

And it was in response to leftovers from those homey holiday meals that these savory, crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside mashed potato cakes came to find themselves on the dinner table.

A little experimentation was all it took to nail down an easy, foolproof mashed potato recipe that I’ll be using for years to come.

Was Madame French Fry pleased to see these?

Why, yes she was. And so was Ben for that matter.

Much like this leftover turkey dinner hash, these mashed potato pancakes are a great way to introduce a new preparation of everyday spuds to your family – or to use up those leftovers in the fridge before they’re relegated to the bin.

I think you’re gonna love them just like we do!

What to do with leftover mashed potatoes 

Now it must be said that, while you can whip up mashed potatoes specifically for these potato cakes, this recipe works best with cold mashed potatoes.

The solidification that occurs after they’ve been sitting in the fridge for a few hours definitely makes them easier to form into patties.

Perfect for leftovers.

And no matter how you’ve flavored your mashed potatoes for the original use, they will be good to go with the addition of an egg as a binder and a few further simple seasonings.

It’s amazing what a little salt and pepper and a few chopped scallions can do to transform simple mashed potatoes into a new and exciting, yet easy to cook, recipe.

The crispy, browned exterior yields a satisfying textural element to the creamy mashed potatoes inside.

And the chopped scallions deliver a verdant pop to these mashed potato cakes that is just out of this world.

So let’s get cooking! 

How to make mashed Potato cakes

This is the easy part!

In a large bowl, mix two cups cold mashed potatoes with a large whisked egg, a couple minced garlic cloves, about five chopped scallions and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper.

Next, simply divide the mixture into eight portions and form into small patties about ½ inch thick.

Then, get a large pan going over medium-high heat with some vegetable oil.

Now, coat each patty with a bit of all-purpose flour and add them to the pan. I had to do this in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and bringing the overall heat down.

Just cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until you get a golden brown crust on the outside, then flip and repeat the process on the other side.

Once cooked, they’re good to go!

Plate them up and serve them to your hungry diners. No one will know they’re eating leftovers when they tuck into these delicious pan fried potato cakes.

A few recipes for mashed potatoes

Now, you’ve probably have foolproof recipes of your own for making mashed potatoes. Use those!

However, I’ve got a couple of ideas for recipes you can whip up prior to these mashed potato cakes that might just fit into your holiday recipe rotation.

If you’re interested, check out these yummy mashed potato recipes. (And if you make extra on purpose, there will be plenty leftovers to use afterwards.)

• Japanese Mashed Potatoes With Mushroom Gravy
• Colcannon

And if you’re keeping things super healthy at your place:

• Sweet Potato and Squash Puree

No matter how you decide to prepare your own mashed potatoes though, I think you’ll be super happy with how these yummy mashed potato cakes turn out with the leftovers!

A special holiday recipe… or a simple Tuesday night recipe

I’ve said it before… and at the risk of sounding like a broken record – I love recipes that can pull double duty and deliver something new to the dinner table simply by using humble base ingredients.

These mashed potato cakes are perfect for the holiday meals we’re busy enjoying now, but will be a welcome addition to the dinner table on a random evening in March.

They’re simple to make – and oh, so delicious!

What about you? What’s something you’ve created in the kitchen with leftovers that became a regular staple in your house? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Happy holidays – and happy cooking!

Other simple, delicious holiday recipes:

• Gluten Free Stuffing Flavored Spaghetti Squash
• Vegan Mushroom Gravy
• Garlic Parmesan Spaghetti Squash With Mushrooms
• French Stuffed Baked Apples
• Vegan Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

PLUS:

• 29 Tofu Recipes That Will Make You Rethink Meat
• 27 Japanese Recipes You Can Make At Home
• 25 Asian Side Dishes

Did you like this Mashed Potato Cakes Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

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