Cheesy mashed potato cakes
Leftover mashed potatoes turned into golden, crisp-edged cheddar and green onion cakes that are soft and fluffy inside.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.57 a serving
- 830 calories
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 3 russet potatoes, cooked and mashed, about 2½ cups; leftover mashed potatoes are perfect
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup sour cream
From your pantry
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, divided
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 830 calories, 28 g protein, 90 g carbs and 40 g fat, and costs about $2.57 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
In a bowl, mix the cold mashed potatoes, egg, cheddar, most of the green onions, ¼ cup flour, the garlic powder, salt and pepper until evenly combined.
Dolly’s tip: Cold mash holds its shape. If yours is warm, chill it for 30 minutes first.Shape the mixture into 6 patties about ¾ inch thick. Put the rest of the flour on a plate and press each cake into it so both sides are lightly coated.
Heat the oil and butter in a large nonstick over medium heat until the butter foams.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heat
Add the cakes and cook without moving them until deep and underneath, about 4 minutes. Flip gently and cook 4 minutes more, until hot all the way through.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium heatTimer: 8 min
Dolly’s tip: Leave them alone. They only get a crust if they sit still, and moving them too early breaks them.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Serve two or three cakes each with a spoonful of sour cream and the rest of the green onions on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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