Budget Family Meals

While we are on the subject of the holidays, there are going to be a lot of opportunities for leftover this or that. Today, mashed potatoes. There is a bonus recipe at the end and a bonus video. You know how much I love to share videos with my readers! Today it is from one of my favorite food people ever! Rachel Ray!

Enjoy!

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Leftover mashed potatoes are often the last thing you want to face for days or weeks after the big feast over the holidays. Everything else gets used up somehow from the turkey to the ham to everything else, but there’s that lonely bowl of mashed potatoes, still sitting there patiently waiting for its turn.

Trying to find creative ways to utilize these mashed potatoes in repeat performances is easier than you think. Let’s take a look at a few ways to reuse your leftover potatoes. Hopefully, this will give you enough ideas so that you will never again be faced with a bowl of spoiled potatoes in your refrigerator.

Breads

Believe it or not, potatoes actually make an amazing flour substitute. If you ever find yourself running low on flour, but have a plethora of mashed potatoes, you are still in luck. One cup of mashed potatoes is proportional to two cups of flour when it comes to baking. This is where potato rolls or potato bread typically come from. Sure, your bread will be a little denser than you might be accustomed to, but it will have a unique flavor that just can’t be beat. You can also use potatoes in addition to using flour to purposely create a heavier, starchier bread.

Pancakes

It always seems like pancake batter never quite makes as many pancakes as the box calls for. Here is another great place where potatoes can come in and save the day. You can use mashed potatoes in your pancake batter to help extend the batter. Just mix in two cups of mashed potatoes in place of one cup of pancake batter and your family and friends will rave about your homemade pancakes. You can also add potatoes along with the regular batter recipe to create more of a side dish pancake, a potato pancake. Include savory ingredients like onions and thyme to serve alongside a main dish like grilled pork tenderloin, chicken, or steak.

Cakes and Cookies

Just like with breads, cakes and cookies can also take the potato substitute for flour. Of course, your cake and pastries will be a little more dense and rich to the palate, but you will be surprised at how great the recipe turns out. A mixture of potatoes and applesauce, for instance produces a moist, heavy pound cake, meant to be served sliced with a heavy syrup or topping like a compote. Drop cookies benefit from the addition or substitution of potatoes because they hold the shape nicely and have a sturdy look and texture.

Casseroles

When making your favorite casserole recipes with cans of cream soup, consider instead using potatoes as a substitute for the soup. Generally speaking, once you get the casserole main ingredients together, all you need is a binding agent, something to bring it all together and give it a creamy texture. Mashed potatoes can do that. The starch in potatoes is often used to help thicken dishes, so you can use this same technique in casseroles. Dilute your mashed potatoes in a bit of chicken or turkey broth, mix in a food processor until smooth, season as needed, then add to you casserole recipe. The potatoes will not only replace the canned soup in the casserole, but they will also add a new level of flavor and nutrition to the dish. This is one starchy carb that gives you something back in fiber.

Soups

Yes, of course you can make potato soup out of leftover mashed potatoes, but as with the casserole trick, you can use potatoes simply as a soup thickener. For instance, if you’re making a creamy broccoli cheese soup that just seems too thin, don’t panic. Put some leftover mashed potatoes in the food processor and blend until smooth, thinning to blend with a bit of milk or broth. When smooth and thick, stir into the soup. Without adding any flour or cornstarch you have a thicker, creamier soup. Use this trick any time you cook a cream soup or chowder. The added bonus is if you mashed your potatoes with cream cheese, sour cream, or just some milk, that just improves the soup even more. And, don’t stop there. If you’re cooking a stew that doesn’t seem to be making that nice thick stick-to-the-spoon sauce, use the same smoothly whipped potatoes and thicken it up.

Having a nice supply of leftover mashed potatoes may not be such a bad thing after all. Once you’ve made your fill of Shepherd’s Pie, Potato Ham Chowder, and Potato Patties, put your leftover mashed potatoes to work for you behind the scenes! You may even find yourself making extra mashed potatoes just to have on hand for some quick and delicious meals!

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Cheddar Potato Veggie Soup

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup cauliflower pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups mashed potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, warmed to room temperature, and cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste

In your food processor, put the onion, carrot, celery, and cauliflower and pulse until fine. You can use either cooked leftovers or raw.

Put this mixture into a large soup pot, add the olive oil, and put over medium heat, stirring to saute for 2 minutes.

Add the broth to the soup pot, turn heat up and bring mixture to a boil, immediately turning heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Keep heat low, and slowly add in the potatoes and milk, and stir until well combined; simmer slowly for 5 minutes.

Keep heat low, and stir in the Cheddar cheese and cream cheese, stirring constantly while heating until the cheeses are completely melted and soup is hot – but do NOT boil. Be patient, this should take a few minutes to do correctly.

Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Remove from heat, cover and let sit for five minutes.
Serve in soup bowls with a pat of butter on top, a sprinkling of more Cheddar cheese, or a few chives.
Serves 4.

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