Southern Fried Mashed Potato Cakes are a great way to use leftovers

Southern potato cakesPhoto byFlickr screenshot

Southern fried mashed potato cakes

My grandmother and other women of her generation in Southwest Virginia used to make fried mashed potato cakes. I did not realize it when I was younger, but this is an ideal method for using leftover potatoes.

Little Cooks Reading Books says potato cakes are the Southern way of using up potatoes left over on holidays, but we ate this dish randomly throughout the year. Wikipedia says there are variations across the globe on this dish, including hashbrowns and having them for breakfast.

In Virginia, the potato pancake shape continues to be popular. It is usually eaten for lunch or dinner. Allspice has a fried mashed potato cake recipe if you have never made them from scratch.