Mashed Potato Pancakes - Recipe for Holiday Leftovers (2024)

FAQs

Why are my mashed potato pancakes falling apart? ›

Flour absorbs some of the excess moisture from the milk and butter that is likely in your leftover mashed potatoes, a main culprit in pancakes that fall apart. It also provides protein and starch that helps the egg hold everything together.

How Long You Can Keep Leftover Mashed Potatoes. Mashed potatoes should easily last three to five days in the fridge if stored correctly and within two hours of cooking. This means ensuring there isn't any moisture buildup under the lid that could encourage the growth of bacteria.

Potato pancakes, also known as latkes, are rather temperamental food in terms of reheating. You can reheat them successfully, but usually only within a few hours of originally cooking them. They reheat better from frozen than from being refrigerated for more than a day or two, so if you do not plan ... Recipes I Love!

How to Store Potato Pancakes. Store your leftover potato pancakes in an airtight container (lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil) in the refrigerator for up to two days. Reheat in the oven or in the air fryer.

Gluten, which is found in flour, keeps pancakes from falling apart. Gluten, a type of protein, forms a “spiderweb” within baked goods, giving them structure. As the starches gelatinize, and turn from a batter to bread, the gluten strands hold them in place.

Add a Thickening Agent

This is the most common way to thicken mashed potatoes. You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well.

Mashed potatoes kept in the fridge should be thrown away if not used after 72 hours. That is the practice adhered to in most restaurants. Some will use it for an extra 24 hours if there's alot left but after that it is no longer fit to be used.

Potatoes sometimes cause food poisoning. To avoid getting sick, be sure to eat cooked potatoes within 4 days and immediately throw away any potatoes that show signs of mold.

According to Healthline, mashed potatoes typically last three to four days in the fridge and up to a year when frozen, although the quality of mashed potatoes will not hold up once they have been frozen.

When ready to reheat, place in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes (7 if using a convection oven) until heated through just prior to serving. A convection oven setting will produce a more crispy result.

Why are my potato pancakes soggy? ›

If you find that your potato pancakes often come out too soggy, a lack of heat is the most likely culprit.

Get That Moisture Out. Using a kitchen towel or paper towel, wring out as much moisture as possible. If you don't drain the moisture, they won't crisp as easily and that may be why your potato pancakes are gummy.

Vegetable oil or canola oil is usually best, because of its high smoking point. Latkes were traditionally made with schmaltz, or chicken fat, so if you have access to it, you should certainly add it in, because it does contribute to the flavor.

Potato pancakes have a creamy, almost mashed-potato-like center, with a thin, golden, crisp exterior. Latkes, on the other hand, should have a deeply browned crust, with wispy, lacy edges. Latkes also aren't hash browns.

It is possible to make small blinis, drop scones or the potato pancakes in advance and freeze them. The pancakes are best served slightly warm so we do suggest that you pop them into an oven for a few minutes before serving.

If the potato pancakes are falling apart while you're shaping them before you start cooking, they are either either too wet or they need more flour to hold them together.

Potato pancakes may turn out mushy if there is too much moisture in the potatoes or if the batter is too wet.

Overcooking: Potatoes can become mushy and fall apart if they are overcooked. To avoid this, it's important to boil them for just the right amount of time, usually around 10-15 minutes, or until they are tender but still firm.

The texture of pancakes is largely determined by the amount of moisture in the batter and the cooking time and temperature. Dry pancakes are usually a result of using too much flour or not enough liquid in the batter, which can make the pancakes crumbly and dry.