Are you ever left with more mashed potatoes than you know what to do with after a big Thanksgiving dinner? Spinach and Cheese Potato Fritters are the delicious solution to your potato problem.
This year we are having 2 big Thanksgiving meals – one with my family from out of town and one with my family in town. What this normally means is tons of leftovers! Mainly turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pie!
Turkey is easy to eat up. Perfect for work sandwiches, enchiladas and soup. And if I still have lots left, I freeze it up and then add it to soup later on. Stuffing never lasts that long in my house because it’s the hubs absolute favorite, and pie c’mon! We eat leftover pie for breakfast and it will be gone pretty quickly. Mashed potatoes on the other hand can be a little tough to use up.
I will admit, mashed potatoes are my least favorite when it comes to thanksgiving dishes. Not that I dislike them, I just find them a little boring. So when I am stuck with a tons of leftover, I rarely get excited about it.
Until I discovered the BEST way to use’em up – Spinach and Cheese Potato Fritters! Literally the tastiest way to use up leftover mashed potatoes!
These fritters add a depth of flavor to otherwise one noted mashed potatoes. And they are super easy and quick! Oh and my toddler is a big fan, so they make great kid food too!
All you do is quickly cook up a hearty helping of spinach and garlic then mix it with your leftover mashed potatoes, green onions, cheese, bread crumbs and an egg. That’s it for the prep. Then patty them up and lightly pan fry them. Boom done!
These little tasty fritters are a fun appetizer, side or even afternoon snack! Personally we love serving them alongside chicken or steak as a starchy veggie side. Just add a little dollop of sour cream, Greek yogurt or a sprinkle of extra green onions.
Secretly you guys, I like these better than mashed potatoes! They are so addicting! Even the hubs, who is obsessed with mashed potatoes thought these were delicious! And that my friends is high praise considering I put spinach and green onions in his precious potatoes.
And of course, the verdict from my little Poppy was 2 thumbs up… or more like a mouth full of potato fritters! She loved them! It is a fun handheld way for her to eat spinach and potatoes using her little hands too 🙌 Win win for everyone!
So now you know, next time you have leftover mashed potatoes, Spinach and Cheese Potato Fritters are where it’s at!
Serves roughly 16 fritters
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
- 1 bag (8 to 10 ounces) baby spinach
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or gruyere cheese
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 cups panko crumbs or breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup olive oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a bowl with your mashed potatoes, add a teaspoon of milk at a time until potatoes get creamy again. Here are you simply looking for a creamy texture. I like to do this because refrigerated mashed potatoes often get a little dry.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and garlic to skillet; season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Remove pan from heat and add spinach mixture to the potatoes. Stir in the shredded cheese. Add egg and panko/bread crumbs. Stir until completely combined and smooth.
- Grab about a ping pong ball size about of potato mixture and shape the mixture into a patty with your hands. Keep making patties until you run out of potato mixture
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Working in batches, fry each patty on both sides until golden brown; about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add more oil as needed.
- Serve warm with a little dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkling of green onions.
Notes
These save for a 4-5 days in the fridge. To reheat, take fritters out of the fridge and allow to reach room temperature then add a little olive oil to a pan and pan fry the fritters for a 2-3 minutes on each side. The cheese is interchangeable with parmesan or any cheese you like! Also you can swap the spinach for chopped up broccoli if you'd prefer.
Originally posted 2016-11-23 07:00:00.
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