Five Favorite Ways to Transform Leftover Mashed Potatoes!

We could go on and on about the usual Thanksgiving leftover recipe ideas; like, turkey veggie soup, turkey pot pie, straight up cold turkey from the fridge, and of course the beloved turkey sandwich slathered in mayo.  But what about those 5 pounds of mashed potatoes left behind??  

Here's a few ideas to try this year to amp up those stiff potatoes! 

1. Shepards Pie
1.  Cook one pound of ground beef and chopped onion in skillet until browned 
2. Add in some thawed veggies (use whatever random bag you have chillin in the freezer here - peas, corn, or mixed veggies work well)
3. Splash in some Worchester sauce, garlic powder, and ketchup (you can measure out 2 TBSP of ketchup or live life dangerously and just squeeze some in!) 
4. Combine 1/2 cold water, 1 TBPS cornstarch, stir and add to meat mixture
5. Add in one beef Bouillon cube and cook on medium high until Bouillon cube has dissolved and mixture has thickened 
6. *Optional: add in a little sour cream at the end of cooking meat mixture
7. Pour in casserole dish, cover with those leftover mashed potatoes, top with cheese if desired and bake at 350° until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes
2. Skillet Fried Potato Cakes
1. Get your skillet hot, melt some butter, add tabs of mashed potatoes and fry on both sides
2. Try serving these up at breakfast with a side of eggs! 
3. Twice Baked Potato Casserole
1. Cook some bacon until extra crispy, let cool and chop
2.  Stir some sour cream, heavy cream (or both!) into the mashed potatoes (use as much or little as you like here until you get a nice smooth spreadable consistency) stir in chives, s&p, and some of the bacon (reserves some bacon for the topping
3. Spread revived mashed potatoes into a casserole dish, top with bacon bits and cheddar and bake at 350° until warm and toasty 
4. Air Fryer Mashed Potato Balls
1. Cook some bacon until extra crispy, let cool and chop
2. Whisk 2 eggs into one bowl (you may only need one if you don't have a ton of potatoes)
3. Add Panko to another bowl
4. Season the mashed potatoes with salt & pepper to taste, cheddar cheese, chives, and chopped bacon - stir to combine
5. Scoop balls of potatoes using a small cookie scoop or using your hands to roll into even sized balls 
6. Dredge in egg and then panko
7. Cook mashed potato balls in air fryer at 375° for 10 minutes or until browned and crispy 
5. My personal favorite... roll mashed potatoes into little 'snowballs' and let the kids go crazy 🤣 It may not be as delish as the above recipes BUT it will be fun to watch and will make you the coolest parent in town (for about a day of course... but totally worth it) 

So don't toss those cold, hard, mashed potatoes!  Try your hand at one of these recipes (games, ha!) and you may just end up making too many mashed potatoes "on purpose" next time 😉