There are two ways to make this delicious side dish. One is to start by boiling potatoes, mashing them and stirring in butter, then waiting for the mixture to cool before adding the rest of the ingredients.
The second and faster way is to use leftover mashed potatoes. Straight from the fridge, or even at room temperature, there no no waiting time while it cools. There is a downside though. If there is milk or cream in the leftover mashed potatoes, it will be more tricky to flip it during frying.
Yes, they are fried. In a mixture of oil and butter. Although there is butter in the mixture, you want more buttery flavor in your pancakes (who doesn’t?). It is also the butter that gives the surface better color and texture.
Whichever method you choose to use, know that this side dish can be made ahead and cooked in bulk. Store them in the fridge, stacked with pieces of non-stick paper separating them, and reheat in a 350F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is crisp once more.
Mashed potato pancakes
Ingredients
- 700 grams floury potatoes boiled until very, very tender
- 4 tablespoons butter plus more for frying
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup panko
- 1 tablespoon toasted garlic bits
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- flour for dusting
- cooking oil for frying
Instructions
- Drain the potatoes. While hot, mash with four tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.
- To the cooled mashed potatoes, add the panko, toasted garlic, parsley and egg. Mix.
- With floured hands, form the mixture into patties about three-quarters of an inch thick and three inches in diameter.
- Heat enough vegetable oil and butter, in equal amounts, to lightly coat the bottom of the frying pan.
- Over high heat, fry the patties, a few at a time (how many depends on the size of your frying pan) until the underside is nicely browned.
- Flip carefully and brown the opposite side.
- Add more vegetable oil and butter, fry the next batch, and so on, and so forth.
- Serve the mashed potato pancakes as a side dish or a snack.
