I think one of the tenets of Appalachian cooking is “Waste not”. The folks who passed these recipes down to us couldn’t run to the grocery store every day. They had to use what they had and wasting was considered a sin.
These Tater Cakes are a perfect example of that as the primary ingredient is leftover mashed potatoes. I grew up eating these as an occasional breakfast item-think of them as a hash brown swap-but my husband prefers them for dinner with some sort of bean.
I’ve seen variations that use egg and add in onion or chives. Mine are pretty simple with just leftover potatoes, salt, pepper and flour. You can season them up more if you see fit. Some seasoning salt, garlic powder, or even Cajun spice would be excellent I’m sure.
I use my own homemade Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes but I’ve used Bob Evans microwaved potatoes for the leftover potatoes too.
How to Make Old Fashioned Tater Cakes
Here I have about 4 cups of cold, leftover mashed potatoes. 
Next, I added in about 1/4 cup of flour along with a generous dash of salt and pepper. Mix up into a dough-like mixture where your potatoes are no longer sticky.
Pour about 6 to 8 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil into a skillet and let it start heating up over medium heat.
Next, start forming your cakes. For consistency in size, I recommend spraying a 1/2 cup measuring cup with cooking spray and using it for your scoop. For a smaller cake, go down to the 1/3 size. Pop them out of the measuring cup and give them a gentle pat to flatten them.
Gently, place your cakes into the hot skillet, being careful not to splatter the hot oil. Cover.
Let them fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown then gently flip them over. When the cakes are golden brown on both sides, remove from the skillet and place them on a paper towel lined plate. Remove paper towel before serving.
Enjoy! As I mentioned earlier, I like these for breakfast with eggs and biscuits. My husband likes them for dinner with pinto beans or even some good ole canned pork n beans.
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