Mashed Potato Cakes

  

I have always been a fan of mashed potato cakes so had to give this recipe a try. 

I must admit right away that I did not make the Olive Tapenade topping. Plain sour cream works for us. The recipe just called for adding some store bought Tapenade to the sour cream. If you like this, it would be easy to do, or add some sliced black olives to the sour cream. They got eaten too quickly for me to get a better picture. What the recipe did not tell you is that you need to flour or keep your hands damp with water to form the balls. They will stick to your hands otherwise. I found that a light dusting of flour on my hands worked the best.

  The recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine we are using this week. There are so many good recipes in it, that we could not begin to use them all, I encourage you to buy a copy. There are sure to be several you will like and use.

Mashed Potato Cakes

 2 ½ cups leftover mashed potatoes (or 20-ounce pkg. Refrigerated ones)

½ cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, shredded smoked cheddar or crumbled Feta.

1 Tablespoon all purpose flour

1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro, dill weed, tarragon or chopped green onion

⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg

1 Tablespoon water

½ cup (I used about ¾) cup fine dry bread crumbs

2 teaspoons oil

½ cup sour cream, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons Tapenade, or prepared horseradish 

 In a large bowl stir together mashed potatoes, cheese, flour and pepper and any other seasoning you are using. Lightly flour your hands and form into eight patties, each about ¾ inch thick.

 In a shallow dish, beat together the egg and water. In another shallow dish place the bread crumbs. Dip potato patties into egg mixture, then into bread crumbs turning to coat both sides.

  In a large nonstick skilled, heat one teaspoon of the oil over medium heat, reduce heat to medium low. Add four patties to skillet; cook about four minutes or until golden brown. Gently turn and brown other side. Transfer to baking sheet. Keep warm in a 300° oven while cooking the remaining patties, using the remaining 1 teaspoon oil.

  Serve with your choice of topping. Makes 8 patties