Adventures in Leftover Land: Mashed Potatoes

MO's contribution to our Thanksgiving meal this year was 20 lbs of mashed potatoes! No, that is not a typo - he did, in fact, make 20 lbs of potatoes. Needless to say, there were lots and lots of leftovers...and our weekend was full of mashed potato jokes and creative leftovers: Sparky and CK made us Mashed Potato Cakes with Poached Eggs and Smoked Salmon, then I made Potato Croquettes with Mozarella (delicious but definitely a once-in-a-while kind of treat). Then we got tired of mashed potatoes so I froze the rest. It will be fun to see what the rest of them become. I'm thinking...soup, pierogies, gnocchi...anyone have any other ideas?

Potato Croquettes
(made with leftover Mashed Potatoes)

cold leftover mashed potatoes
cubed mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs, seasoned with S&P

Use a tablespoon to scoop out rounds of mashed potatoes. Press each around a small piece of mozzarella cheese. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat until all potatoes are used (or until you have enough). Place in refrigerator or freezer until firm. Prepare fryer or pan. Dip each ball in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Fry until golden brown and serve with dipping sauces (marinara, aoli, ranch dressing are some ideas).

Mashed Potato Cakes with Poached Eggs and Smoked Salmon:

Thank goodness for Thanksgiving

I haven't been posting a lot lately, but I sure have been cooking a lot. MO and I hosted our first Thanksgiving (with lots of help from LoPo). We had a fun and delicious celebration with family and friends complete with a late-night bonfire and stargazing. Any day centered around cooking, eating and drinking together with loved ones is my kind of day. Everything was delicious, but my personal favorite parts of the meal were Cousin S's homemade creamed spinach (made with fresh spinach and mushrooms!) and LoPo's cranberry chutney (and of course, the desserts)!