Mashed Potato Cakes

These make a great breakfast dish when you've had leftover mashed potatoes and don't know what to do with them. 

Julian's Mashed Potato Cakes

You can of course make the mashed potatoes and use them specifically for this recipe, but I never do that. In fact, I usually take the mashed potatoes leftover from dinner and make these into little balls and refrigerate them until I'm ready to fry them for breakfast. That way there is nothing much to do in the morning when I don't really feel like cooking, but give them a quick fry and serve them. 

Note: 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 1 more egg. If it looks too wet, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is cohesive. You can also adjust the recipe based on the amount of leftover potatoes you have, by generally trying to keep the proportions below about the same. Precise measurements are not required. 

Ingredients
3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

1 large egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped scallions

    green and white parts included
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Vegetable or olive oil 

Sour cream, optional for serving

Instructions:
Combine the mashed potatoes and egg in a large bowl. Stir in the cheddar cheese, scallions and flour. Spray a 1-tablespoon scoop with non-stick oil spray. Scoop a heaping mixture and, with wet hands, roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Place the potato balls in a plastic container with a lid, and refrigerate until ready to use.  

Add the oil to a non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Flatten each ball into it into a pancake about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Fry the cakes in batches if needed, 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 potato cakes to a serving plate(s) and sprinkle them with a little salt. Serve the potato pancakes topped with the optional sour cream if you prefer.