When I was growing up, leftover mashed potatoes would be shaped into a patty and fried. First, there had to be leftover mashed potatoes which was a very rare thing. We would call them potato patties. That was all there was to them. Simple things. A nice way to reheat mashed potatoes without a microwave or the chance of thinning them out too much. I still make these. Sometimes I had a nice cheese on top. Actually, this is what we had for Sunday breakfast with a scrambled egg.
As I got older, I have liked the potato pancakes you get in delis. The potato is grated. From there, there is more work then I really wish to do.
I recently read an essay that had a recipe in it for potato pancakes that was half way between the two. Mashed potatoes instead of the work of the grated with most of the ingredients of the deli potato pancakes. I decided to give them a try. With a poached egg, smoked salmon, homemade applesauce, and a spoon of sour cream, these potato pancakes filled a craving. And made a very nice dinner.
potato pancakes
about a pound or more of thin skinned red potatoes
2 to 4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
In a large pot, put the potatoes. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn down, cover and let simmer until soft to a fork. Drain. Mash. Add the cream and dash some more. Put in the freezer to cool if you plan the pancakes soon.
In a frying pan, put the olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Add the garlic. Brown. Remove the bowl of potatoes from the freezer, mix in the garlic. Add a bit more olive oil the the frying pan and heat.
Mix in the buckwheat flour, salt, and pepper into the potatoes. Mix in the eggs. This will be thick.
Take a large spoonful and dump it into the frying pan. Shape into a pancake shape with a spatula. Do this with the rest of the batter. Let brown on one side. Turn over and brown on the other.
Serve anyway that suits your fancy. The poached egg and salmon was ours. Homemade applesauce was a nice addition.
My tummy was quite pleased with this dinner. Just added a cup of tea.