Or; A Tale of too Many Mashed Potatoes.
Is that a thing? Can there truly be too many? As much as I like them I don’t make them often and generally don’t want them more than twice in a row. Potatoes are also one of those things that just don’t freeze well. So if you want to disguise the upcoming holiday leftovers, salmon potato pancakes will come to your rescue.
A friend introduced me to these many years ago. By this point I have forgotten the original recipe and pretty much just wing it every time. The worst that will happen is that they won’t hold together when you cook them if you don’t add enough of the binding ingredients, so don’t stress yourself out over it.
Take your pot of leftover mashed potatoes. Make sure they are cold from the fridge, it really helps them keep their shape! Add an egg and a bit of flour (approx 1/4 c works well for me, but I like fairly firm mashed potatoes. If you like yours smoother or wetter you may need more.) I like to toss in a bit more seasoning at this point, usually salt, pepper, and green onion. A normal person would probably add garlic too, but I add such a ridiculous amount to my mashed potatoes that any more would be redundant…
If you aren’t a salmon fan or are serving this as a side there is no reason that you couldn’t fry it up at this point. Personally I like the way that the salmon changes the flavour and adds protein, but I know that some people have strong opinions about fish.
I drain a can of salmon and add everything except large bones. Mix it all up well. You should be able to form little patties at this point. I keep them short and squat, they just seem to fry better that way. Fry them in a layer of oil that is on at least med heat. If they sit in the pan for too long because the temperature is low they will get soggy and greasy. Flip once, cook until browned, then pop onto a baking rack to drain.
Personally I would suggest eating these fresh. Like most fried foods they are much nicer straight away. That being said, they don’t get soggy the way something breaded would, so they are absolutely worth saving to reheat later if there are extras. (How many mashed potatoes did you make if your leftover recipe has leftovers? You absolute Potato Legend.)
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