I think it’s safe to say that I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t like mashed potatoes. That bowl of steamy, buttery goodness is always a favorite at the dinner table. Unfortunately, we all can admit that once those leftovers cool to room temperature and are packaged away in the fridge, their palatability immediately begins to decline. Check out these five awesome ways to revamp your now-shabby spuds.
1. Puff ‘Em Up
Besides looking incredibly golden and delicious, these Potato Puffs only take 20 minutes to bake and are incredibly easy to customize to your taste bud’s desires. Pro-tip: reduce the cooking time by 3 minutes and bake in a mini muffin tin to make the perfect hors d’oeuvres.
2. Eat ‘Em For Breakfast
Mashed potatoes aren’t just for dinner, y’all. These Cheesy Mashed Potato Pancakes are a creative re-invention of the traditional potato pancake, or latke. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a side of applesauce (don’t knock it ’till you try it) and your favorite breakfast meat.
3. Turn ‘Em Into a Pizza
Put a twist on America’s favorite pie by spreading your taters on this Loaded Bacon Mashed Potato Pizza. Mashed Potatoes? Cheddar Cheese? Bacon? Why haven’t you made this already?
4. Go Italian With ‘Em
If you’re in the mood to devour some soft, fluffy, potato-y pillows of happiness, try this recipe for Mashed Potato Gnocchi. You should already have all of the extra ingredients in your kitchen—all you need besides mashed potato leftovers is some flour and an egg.
5. Keep ‘Em Classic
For the purists out there who refuse to stray from the original dish, never fear, there is still hope for your aging starch. Amy Wisniewski, food editor at CHOW, suggests a makeshift double-boiler to reheat those babies (a little extra milk and butter probably wouldn’t hurt either). If that sounds to complicated for ya, here’s a video to help you out.
Don’t give up on your leftover mashed potatoes. Eat them as is (sad) or give them new life with one of these easy hacks for making them great again.