I just found out today that my Mom is going to be here for Thanksgiving!
I’m due with the new baby right at the beginning of November and she decided to make the trip up a little longer and stay for Thanksgiving.
I couldn’t be more excited because I’ve never actually (believe it or not, in all the years that I’ve been on my own) made our own family Thanksgiving dinner.
We’ve always ended up back at my Mom’s house or at my Aunt’s house over in Lansing.
But with the new baby being born right around that time, I know I’m not going to feel up to traveling and would totally rather cook a dinner here at home.
Our first one!
If you’re anything like my family… we always make a huge batch of mashed potatoes for any of our holiday dinners.
For some reason, the meal doesn’t seem complete without the mashed potatoes and gravy.
And of course, there are always a ton of leftovers. Actually, leftover mashed potatoes happen no matter if I’m making them from scratch or just whipping up a quick pouch of Idaho Spuds for dinner.
I love mashed potatoes and my eyes are always bigger than my stomach when making them… haha.
But there is only one thing that happens with all those leftover mashed potatoes – we make potato pancakes with them for breakfast the next morning and also to eat as a side dish for the next couple nights dinner.
If they last that long…
These cheesy potato pancakes go just as fast as when I make regular mashed potatoes. So sometimes, I don’t even use leftovers to make this recipe.
Which is why Idaho Spuds is so perfect for making these cheesy potato pancakes. They also come in five delicious flavors that make a great plus one for the holidays and are easily customizable for these potato pancakes.
So grab yourself some holiday leftover mashed potatoes or a couple pouches of Idaho Spuds and whip these up for dinner tonight or for a semi-savory breakfast in the morning.
These are perfect topped with a little sour cream and extra cheese (like the hubbs enjoys) or for breakfast topped with a tiny bit of syrup and bacon crumbles.
Either way you cannot go wrong and these will turn into a family tradition for you just like it is for us!
Cheesy Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 cups mashed potatoes
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp green onions sliced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together mashed potatoes, cheese, egg, green onions, and flour until combined. Mixture should be thick and able to grab and roll into ball with hands. If it is not, then add a little more flour, a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- In a cast iron skillet, add vegetable oil and heat over medium. Then add 1/2 cup flour to bowl or shallow dish for dredging.
- Divide potato mixture into 16 portions and, using your hands, roll each into a ball and them flatten into pancake form. Dredge in flour and then carefully place into hot oil.
- Fry pancakes for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crispy – adding more oil to the pan as needed for more.
- Remove and place on paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve warm topped with sour cream, extra cheese, and more green onions, if desired.
