Awesome Ways to Use Leftover Mashed Potatoes
If I can think of one thing that are so amazingly delicious when they are hot and fresh, but seem like useless sludge when there is a Tupperware container full of leftovers of these in the fridge--that would be mashed potatoes. They cannot be beat (pun intended ha!) when they are fluffy and fresh and paired with a nice roast and hot gravy, but I’ve always thought they were lumpy and impossible if they aren’t all eaten up at the first sitting.
We were stuck with a bunch of leftover potatoes for Thanksgiving this year and had to get creative with a LOT of leftovers. My cute brother-in-law took on the all-important task of making the mashed potatoes for the very first time and he definitely went all in. I think he made 12 pounds of mashed potatoes for a group with only 7 adults and 7 kids, bless his heart! :) He definitely was of the mindset “Go big or go home!”
I was a little bit worried about what we’d do with all those leftovers, but after looking up some ideas I realized there are about 1.2 zillion AWESOME ways to use leftover mashed potatoes! I’m going to share some of these awesome ideas so that the next time you’re stuck with extra mashed potatoes from a holiday or nice Sunday dinner, you’ll be excited to use them up in other ways!
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup leftover mashed potato, with or without skin
3 - 4 cups flour (I use bread flour, but all-purpose works fine), divided
1 tablespoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, or use 1/2 olive and 1/2 oil from the tomatoes
1/4 cup rough chopped, well drained pitted nicoise or kalamata olives
1/4 cup rough chopped, well drained oil-packed roasted tomato
Directions:
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We were stuck with a bunch of leftover potatoes for Thanksgiving this year and had to get creative with a LOT of leftovers. My cute brother-in-law took on the all-important task of making the mashed potatoes for the very first time and he definitely went all in. I think he made 12 pounds of mashed potatoes for a group with only 7 adults and 7 kids, bless his heart! :) He definitely was of the mindset “Go big or go home!”
I was a little bit worried about what we’d do with all those leftovers, but after looking up some ideas I realized there are about 1.2 zillion AWESOME ways to use leftover mashed potatoes! I’m going to share some of these awesome ideas so that the next time you’re stuck with extra mashed potatoes from a holiday or nice Sunday dinner, you’ll be excited to use them up in other ways!
- Mashed potato flatbread. Use the recipe at the bottom of this article. You won’t be sorry!
- Shepherd’s pie
- Red curry sweet potato soup. One reader mentioned in the comments of this thread that she turned an abundance of mashed potatoes into a delicious red curry sweet potato soup. Yum!
- Pan-fried potato hot cakes. “Dunk a few slices of bread in water, squeeze out the extra liquid and add to the mashed potatoes along with some minced fresh ginger, chopped scallion green, coriander and cumin powder, some lemon juice. Shape into patties and pan fry them.”
- Mashed potato turkey hash. Use lots of butter in a frying pan and add chopped turkey, mashed potatoes and stir around occasionally until everything is crisp. Extra delicious with a little leftover cranberry sauce on top.
- Potato soup. Thin it out with a little bit of broth.
- Tuna polpette. To about 1.5 cups of potato, add two cans of good quality canned tuna, drained, then a beaten egg, some lemon zest, and a bit of flour if the mixture is too wet. Roll them into balls and fry in olive oil until crisp and golden brown. Serve them with a simple tomato sauce, a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley, and additional grated lemon zest.
- Mashed potato cakes. Topped with a fried egg for breakfast!
Leftover Mashed Potato Flatbread
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 415
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 415
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup leftover mashed potato, with or without skin
3 - 4 cups flour (I use bread flour, but all-purpose works fine), divided
1 tablespoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, or use 1/2 olive and 1/2 oil from the tomatoes
1/4 cup rough chopped, well drained pitted nicoise or kalamata olives
1/4 cup rough chopped, well drained oil-packed roasted tomato
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together yeast and water and allow to bloom for 5 minutes.
Mix together with the potatoes, 1 cup flour, and 2 teaspoons each rosemary and salt, and allow to rest and absorb for 10 minutes.
Add 2 more cups of flour and stir until the dough starts to come together in a shaggy mass. Add the yeast and turn out onto a floured surface and allow to rest for 10 minutes (while washing and drying the bowl, which you will use again.)
Gently knead the dough. Lift it from one side using a bench scraper, fold, and rotate a quarter-turn. Then lift, fold, and turn again. Do this several times until the dough has come together and is soft and elastic.
Be gentle. You want to retain little pockets of potato. Add as little additional flour as possible. Instead, if the dough becomes sticky, allow the dough to rest, to absorb the flour, and then continue to knead until the dough is soft and elastic.
Place the ball of dough into a well-oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Allow to rise for 1 ½ hours. For a more rustic bread, allow to rise slowly in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
When the dough has risen, line a sheet pan with parchment paper and oil the parchment well. Gently roll the dough out of the bowl onto the parchment. Divide the dough into two pieces and press the two breads out into rustic rounds or rectangles. Cover loosely and allow to rise for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Make dimples in the top of the dough with your fingertips and dab all over with the oil Sprinkle with olives, tomatoes and the remaining 2 teaspoons each of coarse salt and rosemary.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The bread should read 190 F degrees when it is done. Cool on a rack.
Mix together with the potatoes, 1 cup flour, and 2 teaspoons each rosemary and salt, and allow to rest and absorb for 10 minutes.
Add 2 more cups of flour and stir until the dough starts to come together in a shaggy mass. Add the yeast and turn out onto a floured surface and allow to rest for 10 minutes (while washing and drying the bowl, which you will use again.)
Gently knead the dough. Lift it from one side using a bench scraper, fold, and rotate a quarter-turn. Then lift, fold, and turn again. Do this several times until the dough has come together and is soft and elastic.
Be gentle. You want to retain little pockets of potato. Add as little additional flour as possible. Instead, if the dough becomes sticky, allow the dough to rest, to absorb the flour, and then continue to knead until the dough is soft and elastic.
Place the ball of dough into a well-oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Allow to rise for 1 ½ hours. For a more rustic bread, allow to rise slowly in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
When the dough has risen, line a sheet pan with parchment paper and oil the parchment well. Gently roll the dough out of the bowl onto the parchment. Divide the dough into two pieces and press the two breads out into rustic rounds or rectangles. Cover loosely and allow to rise for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Make dimples in the top of the dough with your fingertips and dab all over with the oil Sprinkle with olives, tomatoes and the remaining 2 teaspoons each of coarse salt and rosemary.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The bread should read 190 F degrees when it is done. Cool on a rack.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
- www.flikr.com
- www.commons.wikimedia.org
- www.food52.com
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
