Cheesy Mashed Potato Cakes

Potato cakes that are made with leftover mashed potatoes. These lovely Cheesy Mashed Potato Cakes that are soft from the inside, but golden and crispy from the outside!

Make sure to check out my Vegan potato cakes with rice and carrot, they’re to die for!

The long-awaited summer is finally here! And so is the long summer school vacation. There are lots of activities and outings planned for this season, be it: swimming, sunbathing, playing in the park, hiking, travelling, planning picnics and BBQs, meeting friends outside and discovering new places. But when it’s raining outside, there’s not much to do. Or is there? Well, we still need to keep our kids busy while staying indoors, knowing how the British summers are!

And we miss the luxury of just getting them out and let them occupy themselves with less guidance and supervision needed by adults. So when it’s raining, we stay indoors. Would that mean we get more free time to do things we plan to do? With kids around, it’s never the case! On the contrary, when we stay indoors we need to plan things more carefully. We organise playdates, we paint, we play board games, we do pretend play. And yes, when I say “we” I do mean it.

Parents and children do more things together while staying inside, simply to avoid any “catastrophic” situations which we could end up with if kids are left to spend time alone. So I just sit with them on the floor and we do different things together. But what about food?

After spending hours playing with kids, I end up having little time to prepare something to eat. Or shall I just order a take out? Would it be a healthy option to feed those little growing bodies with takeaway meals? Instead of ordering some pizzas I’d rather just cook something quick, healthy, nutritious and delicious and enjoy it all together. An excellent example of that is this recipe!

Mashed Potato Cakes

These potato cakes are sort of like veggie fritters, but they’re made from leftover mashed potatoes. With a crunchy exterior and creamy interior, your kids will love these potato cakes! You should also try these corn fritters, this recipe is 100% family approved.

How to Make Potato Cakes

These warm, crispy cheesy mashed potato cakes can be prepared in no time, actually, they’re ready in under 20 minutes!

Step 1.

Simply boil a few potatoes and mash them with a small piece of butter (I use this potato ricer) adding a pinch of salt and ground black pepper, or use leftover mashed potato if you have any. If using boiled potatoes, make sure that you chill them after mashing so they’re no longer warm.

If you’re using leftover mashed potatoes, then make sure that you didn’t add too much milk and butter to make the mashed potatoes extra smooth. Ideally, mashed potatoes need to be quite thick to hold shape otherwise you will end up adding too much flour and that will result in bland potato cakes.

I also noticed that store-bought mashed potatoes don’t work very well to make potato cakes, so make sure that you’re using homemade mashed potatoes.

Step 2.

Add an egg, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped herbs, and some garlic. I used chopped scallions and it tasted great. You could also add curry powder or any other seasoning that you like.

Mix all ingredients together then divide into 100 gm portions to create little cakes.

Step 3.

Roll each portion into a ball then gently flatten into a cake about a 1.5-inch-thick.

Step 4.

Lightly dredge each cake in cornstarch and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Finally, transfer the cakes to a towel-lined plate and serve them warm.

What I love about this recipe, is that it requires shallow frying rather than deep frying and that’s always a win!

I would recommend serving these potato cakes while they’re still warm, but I’m always happy to eat them even if they’re already cold.

Recommended Tools

• Potato Masher; this potato masher is perfect for making smooth mashed potatoes and it’s safe to use in nonstick pots. Or a potato ricer (I really like this one).
• Large mixing bowl
• Garlic press; This is the only garlic press that I ever use! It’s the best model that I’ve used so far as all of the garlic gets squeezed out, and none gets stick inside the press. My Mum and sister use the same one as well so it’s highly recommended. Plus I don’t think that it can ever break, so if you need a new garlic press then this is a great choice.
• Large frying pan; to shallow fry the potato cakes you will need a large nonstick pan. Frying the cakes in a small one will take you ages, and if they start sticking to the bottom of the pan then they can get ruined.

These potato cakes can also be served with a teaspoon of sour cream and dill on each, which I find very refreshing.

The Scottish version of these potato cakes is called Tattie Scones, however, they don’t use an egg and just add butter and salt to the boiled and mashed potatoes. They’re also thinner than these potato cakes, and use dry and light potatoes in the recipe.

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

4.88 from 31 votes

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Cheesy Mashed Potato Cakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

Author: Diana

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These cheesy mashed potato cakes are crisp on the outside with a soft center and are easy to pan fry. They can be made with freshly cooked potatoes or with leftover mashed potatoes, making them a practical option for a side dish, brunch, or snack.

8 potato cakes

These cheesy mashed potato cakes are crisp on the outside with a soft center and are easy to pan fry. They can be made with freshly cooked potatoes or with leftover mashed potatoes, making them a practical option for a side dish, brunch, or snack.

Equipment

• Large pot
• Colander
• Potato masher
• Mixing Bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Kitchen scale optional
• Large skillet
• Slotted spatula
• Paper Towels

Ingredients 

1/2x1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 large potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter for mashing
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt plus more for boiling the potatoes
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• ▢ 3 tablespoons chopped green onion
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

Instructions 

• Place the potato chunks in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt, place on the stove, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes very well, then mash with butter until smooth and dry, not watery.
• Let the mashed potatoes cool until no longer warm to the touch. Brief chilling in the fridge helps firm up the mixture.
• Add the egg, cheddar cheese, garlic, green onion, salt, and black pepper. Mix until evenly combined.
• Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions, about 100 g each. Roll into balls, then flatten into cakes about 1½ inches thick.
• Lightly coat each cake in cornstarch, shaking off any excess.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry the potato cakes for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and crisp.
• Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and serve hot.

Notes:

Using leftover mashed potatoes

This recipe also works well with leftover mashed potatoes. Use about 3 cups mashed potatoes made with butter and milk. If the potatoes are very firm, let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before mixing.

Taste before adding salt or cheese, as leftovers may already be seasoned. If the mixture feels too loose, add extra cornstarch one tablespoon at a time. If it feels too dry, mix in a tablespoon of milk.

Helpful tips

• If the mixture is too soft to shape, chill it for another 10 minutes before forming the cakes.
• Do not overcrowd the pan, as this prevents proper browning.
• Keep the heat at medium so the cakes crisp without burning.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1potato cake, Calories: 224kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 38mg, Sodium: 282mg, Potassium: 608mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 218IU, Vitamin C: 28mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Little Sunny Kitchen