What’s Cookin’, Good Lookin’?

Howdy neighbors!  I want to share a good ole Granny/Moma recipe with you today.  My Granny started raising her babies during the Depression.  My Moma was a child of that Depression.  Money was tight.  So every penny had to be worked for all it was worth.  And food was not wasted and poured down garbage disposals and into trash cans like it is in today’s time. 

Raising babies in and being a child of the Depression made my Granny and my Moma into the most frugal of the frugal.  They could each pinch a penny until it squealed!  And I was taught the old addage, “Waste not, want not.”  Nothing went to waste in their homes.  Food was redesigned, redistributed and rerun until it was entirely gone.  They didn’t believe in this business of cook it once and eat it once.  Whatever was cooked was stretched until it was completely eaten up.

Mashed Potatoes…………..love ‘em!  But let’s face it, they get clumpy and gluey the longer they sit in the fridge, right?  You just don’t want to eat them 12 nights in a row.  Or heck, even 3 for that matter.  It gets old.  So my Granny and my Moma redesigned them into Tater Cakes!  You good little Southern folks out there………..ever had a Tater Cake?  Raise your hand!  I know I’m not the only one around here who knows what they are!  And let’s not go getting all prissy and calling them “Potato Croquettes” and such as that.  They’re Tater Cakes, plain and simple  good, honest food!  Nothing pretentious about them! 

And I’d like to teach you how to make them.  You can switch and change up some of the things you add to them to give them a different kick.  What I’m going to share with you is pretty basic.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Leftover mashed potatoes, some cheddar cheese (or any cheese of choice), eggs, flour, and garlic.  These are just the basics.  You could also add sliced green onions or finely diced regular onion.  Some peppers, either finely diced bell peppers or some jalapenos would be great too.  Diced bacon would be amazing!  You could change them up so many different ways!

Start by putting your leftover mashed potatoes in a mixing bowl.  If you want to season the potatoes anymore than they already were, go ahead and do that now.  Some fresh parsley would be great.  Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt would be good.  Fresh chives would be super too!  Toss in whatever cranks your tractor!

Add in the garlic.

Break a couple eggs and toss them in too. Now give it a good stir until the eggs are completely combined into the potatoes.

Add the flour next.

And finally, add the cheese.  If you have bacon, onions, peppers or other additions, this is the time to toss them in.  Gently stir until all the flour and cheese are combined.

Heat some oil in a non-stick skillet.  I used canola oil, but peanut oil, corn or vegetable oil would work would equally as well.

Using two spoons, drop the potatoes into the hot oil.

Keep the heat turned up on medium high and fry the cakes until they’re golden brown on the bottom.

Once they’re golden brown on the bottom, give them a flip and let them fry until the other side is golden brown.
And unfortunately, this is where my company started arriving and I forgot to take anymore photos.    When they’re golden brown on both sides, take them out onto paper towels to drain the grease off.  Serve them right away.

Tater Cakes

*  leftover mashed potatoes

*  flour

*  egg(s)

*  garlic to taste

*  shredded cheese of choice

I can’t give you any measurements because it depends on the amount of mashed potatoes you have leftover.  I probably had 4-6 cups leftover if I was guessing.  And I used 2 eggs and a little bit more than 1/4 cup of flour.  They should be fairly stiff when you get everything mixed together.  This is absolutely not rocket science so you can adjust ingredients as necessary.  If they’re too thin, they won’t stay together when fried.  So make sure they’ve got plenty of flour in them to make a stiff dough.

I made these to go with breakfast for dinner.  My nephew thinks these are the best thing he’s ever had in his life!  LOVES ‘em!  So I fixed them with biscuits, sausage, bacon, gravy and scrambled eggs.  But they would be great with just about anything!  Heck, they’re good on a sandwich with some Miracle Whip and sliced tomato!

There you go!  Waste not, want not!  My mashed potatoes didn’t go in the garbage or to the dogs.  They got redesigned into something totally different!  And equally as good as they were the first go-round!

Have a great day!  And enjoy some good ole Southern cookin’ while you make your Granny and mine proud!  )

Filed under: Appetizers, Breakfast, Meal Ideas, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetables