Reuse leftover mashed potatoes for 4 quick, tasty dinners and side dishes.
Get the most out of leftover mashed potatoes by creating an easy meal or side with minimal effort. Mashed potatoes freeze easily, so they’re the perfect many-days-after accompaniment to any meal. You’ll also cut some time off your busy weeknight dinner prep by doubling your recipe and freezing some for later.
1. Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
15 mL (1 tbsp) olive oil
24 oz (1 1/2 pounds) ground beef
1 packet beef gravy
250 mL (1 cup) cold water
625 mL (2 1/2 cups) mashed potatoes
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F)
Sauté onions and carrots on medium heat with the olive oil
Add ground beef and cook until browned
Mix together 1 packet of beef gravy with 250 mL (1 cup) cold water. Add gravy to ground beef and cook until it has thickened
Place beef mixture in a 23-by-33-centimetre (9-by-13-inch) baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top
Bake at 180 C (350 F) for about 30 minutes or until potatoes have browned slightly
2. Potato Pancakes
Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Ingredients
750 mL (3 cups) chilled mashed potatoes
150 mL (2/3 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
30 mL (2 tbsp) chopped scallions
1 egg, beaten
45 mL (3 tbsp) flour
60 mL (4 tbsp) vegetable oil
125 mL (1/2 cup) flour
Cream cheese or sour cream for garnish
Instructions
Combine leftover mashed potatoes, shredded cheddar cheese,chopped scallions, beaten egg and 45 mL (3 tbsp) of flour in a large bowl
Roll about a dozen 5-centimetre (2-inch) balls and flatten to about 1 1/2-centimetre (1/2-inch) thick
Add 125 mL (1/2 cup) of flour to a shallow dish, and lightly coat each potato disk with flour
Heat vegetable oil in a pan on medium high heat until it spatters
Add disks and cook until crispy (about 3 minutes on each side)
Serve with a dollop of cream cheese or sour cream
3. Duchess Potatoes
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
500 mL (2 cups) room temperature mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten
30 mL (2 tbsp) butter, melted
Piping bag
Tip: For this recipe, you want to make sure that the mashed potatoes are room temperature. If they are not, simply microwave them until they are warm, but not hot.
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F)
Once at room temperature, mash in 1 slightly beaten egg until potatoes are smooth
Transfer potatoes to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip
Pipe potatoes onto baking sheet to form swirling peaks (about 5 centimetres (2 inches) across)
Brush gently with additional melted butter and bake at 200 C (400 F) for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown
4. Homemade Pierogi
Fill homemade pasta rounds with your leftover mashed potatoes to create our delicious side dish.
Next time you think of just microwaving your leftover mashed potatoes, remember all the possibilities! Do you have any ways to reuse leftover mashed potatoes? Share them in the comments section below!
