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Let me show you today one of the great thrifty pleasures of the old kitchen, a way to take yesterday's leftover mashed potatoes, that bowl of cold mash sitting in the cold box that nobody quite wants to eat again as it is, and turn it into something new and wonderful, crispy potato and cheese cakes, golden and crisp on the outside, soft and cheesy within. It is one of those old bits of kitchen thrift that feels near like magic, taking a humble leftover that might have been forgotten and making it into a dish so good the family fights over it, better in its second life, some would say, than in its first.

This is the very heart of good old cooking, the wasting of nothing, the making of a second good meal from the remains of the first. I have shown you a cabbage cake and a corned beef hash, which are cousins to this, all of them that same fine idea of binding up a mixture and frying it crisp. This is another of that happy family, a potato-and-cheese one, and its own distinct delight.

INGREDIENTS

Leftover mashed potatoes (cold, from the cold box)
A good grated cheese (sharp cheddar, or a bit of Parmesan)
A bit of onion (raw fine, or softened in butter)
Salt and pepper, and a bit of fresh herb
An egg and a little flour (to bind, if the mixture is loose)
Dried breadcrumbs (my own), for coating (optional)
Butter or oil, for frying
Optional: cooked peas, corn, ham, or bacon to fold in

Here is what you will learn:

✔ Why COLD leftover mash makes the best cakes (it holds together)
✔ How to bind the mixture so the cakes do not fall apart
✔ How to form even cakes that heat through without burning
✔ The crumb coating for an extra-crisp golden crust
✔ Why you fry over steady MEDIUM heat, not fierce
✔ The one rule: let the first side set golden BEFORE you flip
✔ How to serve them (supper, breakfast with an egg, a side)
✔ How to stretch a little mash into a whole meal
✔ How to make them plain or heartier with a few folded-in bits
✔ How to fix cakes that fell apart, went greasy, or came out bland

You do not need fresh makings or a frozen bag of potato patties. You need yesterday's mashed potatoes, some cheese, a bit of onion, formed into cakes and fried crisp. And once you set down a plate of them, crisp and golden without and soft and cheesy within, you will understand what the old kitchens always knew, that some of the very best suppers there are come not from fresh makings at all but from yesterday's leftovers, given a second life by a thrifty and knowing hand.

Now tell me something down in the comments. Did your family make potato cakes from the leftover mash, and what did they put in them, and did they have a name for them, for these humble dishes go by many names? And what is your favorite way to use up leftover mashed potatoes? I would dearly love to hear, for these thrifty old ways are worth gathering. Tell me.

Until then, take good care of the ones at your table. And keep a kitchen that knows some of the very best suppers there are come not from fresh makings at all but from yesterday's leftovers, given a second life by a thrifty and knowing hand.

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