In My Own Sweet Thyme...

Mashed Potato Croquettes

Last night we had Polish kielbasi with onions and peppers for dinner and mashed potatoes to go with. The mashed potatoes got left out and smelled kinda funky in the morning. I know they didn't go bad but they wouldn't taste the greatest if we just heated them up in the microwave. I had the idea to make my mom's potato pancakes for dinner this week, but really don't feel like grating a bunch of potatoes and onions. So, I thought I would take the liberty to just make 'mashed potato pancakes'. Well, obviously there will be a little different technique to make them because you cannot just throw them in a ton of oil or else they will get all mushy and weird.  How do I know this? Well, I tried to make these when I worked at a quaint little bistro for a year and the mashed potato pancakes turned out miserable when I attempted to basically deep fry these puppies. This time, I decided to just use my handy-dandy non-stick pan and a small amount of veggie oil. Here is the recipe...These are delicate tasting and seem like little pillows that melt in your mouth! I really think these are better than just regular mashed potatoes. Of coarse there are way more carbs, but whatever! Enjoy!

Gather:

6 cups of mashed potatoes, chilled (that already have butter, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper)

1/2 cup of Kraft Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

6 Tbsp flour + 4 Tbsp to coat before frying

2 green onions, chopped

handful of chopped parsley.

Vegetable oil or Canola oil for frying

Steps:

1. In a large bowl, combine the chilled mashed potatoes, Parmesan cheese, eggs, 6 Tbsp of flour, chopped green onions and parsley.

2. Using your hands (if you have latex gloves you can put them on to protect your manicure!) mix all the ingredients together until even and smooth. (I had a few lumps in mine and worked out fine)

3. In a small bowl add 4 Tbsp of flour and season with salt and pepper (I used Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt from SR)

4. Using a wooden spoon, scoop out some of the mixture and place in your palm. Flatten them out to make a nice circle. Place them on a baking sheet.

5. Now, one by one, coat them with flour and place into a pre-heated, oiled, non-stick pan.

6. Cook on medium heat until both side are golden brown. In between each batch you will need to add more oil. Just remember, it is a non-stick pan so you only need about a Tbsp of oil each time.

7. Serve warm with sour cream. Note: You can make these ahead, and put them back on the baking sheet and warm them up for 10 minutes on 350 when the rest of your meal is finished!