Fried Mashed Potatoes

Fabulous Fried Mashed Potatoes. Browned and yummy.

Lately, I've been making my mashed potatoes a little ahead of dinner time, and setting them on low to warm while I cook the rest of dinner. I do it partly out of convenience, but mostly I do it because this nice browned layer develops on the bottom of the pan. THAT is the thing I go for at the end of the meal--the best part--a deeper, yummier flavor of mashed potato than what is scooped off the top.
So, when planning dinner tonight, I spied the leftover garlic mashed potatoes from the other night, and decided to take them a step further. I would spread them out in a frying pan and make it ALL into that yummy, flavorful, deep brown stuff that I like to scrape off the bottom of the pan. And why not add a little onion while I'm at it?
My mom used to make potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes, but they never keep their shape, and they just don't have the depth of flavor that the bottom of the pan potatoes have. I think what I've done here has captured exactly what I was going for. It's not exactly pretty, but what they lack in looks, they more than make up for in flavor. Trust me. If you like potatoes, you'll LOVE these. 

Fried Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups leftover garlic mashed potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup diced onion

Instructions:
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the vegetable oil. Add diced onion and saute onion until slightly soft. Scoop mashed potatoes into the pan and flatten to cover as much of the onions as possible. Reduce heat to medium low. (If potatoes are cold, it may take a few minutes to soften up in the pan, or you can warm them in the microwave before adding to the pan.)
Fry potatoes over medium low heat for about 20-25 minutes, turning a small section at a time with a spatula every five minutes or so. If potatoes seem to be getting too dark too quickly, reduce heat a little bit. When potatoes seem as brown as you want them, turn the burner off and serve.
Makes about 5 servings