Potato Cakes

These scrumptious potato cakes have a soft and fluffy interior, and golden-brown and crispy exterior. Made with mashed potatoes formed into patties then pressed into grated potatoes for a hash brown-like texture, this savory potato cakes recipe is the perfect use for your leftover mashed potatoes, for a hearty breakfast!

Have leftover mashed potatoes? Make potato cakes!

While on a recent trip to the upper part of central California, my husband and I stopped for breakfast at a precious and quaint little restaurant to get some strong, hot coffee and some good food into our bleary-eyed and hungry system.

By the time we stopped at this cute place it was around 10:45 am, and we couldn't wait to check out their menu and get some refreshment.

I ended up ordering some amazing French toast, and because I was also craving something savory, I ordered their hash brown potato cakes as well, out of both hunger and curiosity.

While I was expecting them to be what hash browns typically are, which is crispy and flat, when I sank my fork into the small, golden potato cakes, they were almost fluffy in the middle, providing them a scrumptious texture.

These little potato cakes were a savory combo of both mashed potatoes (on the inside) and grated hash brown-style potatoes (on the outside) seared off on the hot griddle until golden and crisp on the outside.

Totally unique and delicious!

As soon as I tasted these, I knew I had to play around in my own kitchen to come up with a recipe of my own that I could turn to, to recreate this tasty and savory breakfast staple.

These have become a savory treat that we can enjoy whenever we long for a taste of our special little trip, or I have some leftover mashed potatoes that I'd like to use up in a really mouthwatering way!

My recipe for potato cakes

These unique potato cakes are basically a combination of mashed potatoes and grated fresh potatoes, plus a bit of seasoning for extra flavor.

Part of why I love this recipe so much is that it's a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes I have on hand (all that's needed is about 2 ¼ cups worth), turning them into a whole other meal, perfect for the next day's breakfast.

But in case you don't have leftover mashed potatoes, and would like to prepare some fresh, I'm including a small batch of mashed potatoes in the recipe below, to makes things easy.

The mashed potatoes act as a binder, because they are thick and creamy. And when you shape them into patties or “cakes”, and gently press them into seasoned, freshly-grated potatoes and sear them in a hot skillet until golden-brown, then you've got these tasty potato cakes with some crispy texture on the outside, with a melt-in-your-mouth interior.

Here's a sneak peek at how I make my potato cakes recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

To get started, if I need to prep some mashed potatoes for this recipe, I begin by doing that. Otherwise, I proceed with the recipe, using leftover mashed potatoes.
Next, I make 8 small mounds of mashed potatoes, and lightly form them into a small, circular cakes or patties in my hands, and set those aside in a platter for a moment.
I grate a couple of russet potatoes, then rinse them well in cold water, and squeeze them dry very well. I season them, and set them into a large, shallow bowl.
Then, I take each mashed potato cake and press them into the seasoned and grated potatoes, coating the outside of both the top and bottom of each potato cake, and set them onto a platter to hold.
Next, I heat my cast iron skillet, then add some oil or ghee (clarified butter), and working in a couple of batches, I cook my potato cakes for a few minutes on each side until golden-brown and crispy on the outside.
I serve immediately, or keep the potato cakes warm on the “warm” setting of my oven until ready. I enjoy with ketchup for dipping, if desired.

Recipe

Potato Cakes

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These savory potato cakes have a fluffy mashed potato interior and a crispy hash brown exterior, perfect as a breakfast accompaniment!

Category: Side
Cuisine: American

Yield: 8 potato cakes

Nutrition Info: 256 calories (per 2 hash brown cakes)

Prep Time: 15 minutes (if using leftover mashed potatoes)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups leftover mashed potatoes (see below for a small-batch recipe of mashed potatoes, if needed)
1 medium-large russet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and grated on a box-grater
Small pinch salt
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
¼ teaspoon paprika
Pinch black pepper
Ghee, avocado oil, or your preferred choice of oil, for frying

Small-Batch mashed potatoes ingredients (if you don't have leftovers):

1 ½ pounds russet potatoes (about 2 medium-large potatoes), peeled and cubed
Salt
1 ½ tablespoons room temp, unsalted butter

Preparation:

Begin by gathering and prepping your small-batch mashed potato ingredients (if needed), according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use. Otherwise, skip to step 5.
To make the mashed potatoes, add the cubed russet potatoes to a small-medium pot, cover with cold water. Add enough salt so it tastes like the ocean, and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, and allow the potatoes to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain them thoroughly.
Pass them through a potato ricer, or use masher to mash them as smoothly as possible. Fold in the butter, and allow the mashed potatoes to cool to room temp before proceeding with recipe.
If using leftover mashed potatoes, gather and prep all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, portion out 8 generous little mounds of mashed potatoes, and shape those mounds into cakes or patties by gently pressing them between your palms. Set aside.
Add your grated russet potato to a fine mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cold water until the water runs clear, then squeeze as much water from the grated potatoes as you can by hand. Then, add the squeezed grated potatoes to a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze any remaining water out of them so that they are as dry as possible, then gently toss to loosen.
Next, add the grated potatoes to a large, shallow bowl and sprinkle in the small pinch of salt, the granulated garlic, the paprika and the pinch of black pepper, and toss to combine.
Place your cast-iron skillet (or other heavy-bottom pan) over medium-high heat, and add in about 3 tablespoons of ghee, avocado oil, or an oil of your liking, and allow the oil to get very hot.
While the oil is heating, take each little mashed potato cake and gently press it into the seasoned, grated potato mixture, gently turning to coat both sides in grated potatoes. (Take care not to flatten the cakes.) Repeat with all potato cakes.
Once coated, work in batches to fry the potato cakes in the hot skillet for about 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until golden-brown, gently pressing down on them in the pan (they can be a bit delicate, so take care when flipping them over). Repeat with remaining cakes.
Serve immediately fresh out of the skillet, or keep warm on wire rack-line baking sheet in a warm oven until ready to serve. Serve with ketchup, if desired.

Tips & Tidbits for my potato cakes recipe:

Use your leftover mashed potatoes, or make a small batch for this recipe: To make eight of these hash brown potato cakes, you'll need about 2 ¼ cups of leftover mashed potatoes. And ff you need to make some mashed potatoes for this recipe, please see the ingredients just below the potato cakes ingredients for that, and proceed with recipe instructions.
Russet potatoes for that bit of extra starch: I like to use russets for this recipe because they contain more starch even after they're rinsed, which eliminates the need for any additional binders.
Rinse the fresh, grated potatoes to remove excess starch: Too much starch on potatoes can make for gummy rather than crisp hash browns, so when you grate the fresh russet, place it in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water to remove the excess starch. Then, squeeze the water out of it very well by using a kitchen towel.
Prep these potato cakes ahead of time: You can prepare the potato cakes the day before you plan on serving them and keep them on a plate or platter covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. Then, take them out of the fridge about an hour before frying them to bring them to room temp.
Cast-iron or heavy bottom pan for crispiness: Use a heavy bottom pan or your cast-iron skillet for these, as they get nice and hot and create that crisp exterior.
Ghee or avocado oil: Ghee is a type of clarified butter typically used in Indian cuisine, and can be found in most markets today either in a jar on the shelf next to the other oils, or in the refrigerated section, depending upon your market. The flavor is amazing for searing up these hash brown potato cakes. You can also use avocado oil, or your preferred choice of oil instead.
Keep the potato cakes warm: You can prepare these and keep them nice and warm until ready to serve by holding them in a warm, 200 to 220° oven.