Transform Your Leftover Mashed Potatoes Into Buttery Biscuits
Leftover mashed potatoes are either a much-loved or much-maligned leftover. Some don't like the texture of reheated mashed potatoes; they're dry, gluey, or taste weird. Others love their versatility: There's always something interesting to do with them. For example, making buttery, flaky biscuits. You'll want to file this tip away for the rare moments when you have leftover mashed potatoes — or even better, make some extra just for this purpose.
You can create biscuits from leftover mashed potatoes by following most biscuit recipes: all-purpose flour, cold grated butter, salt, baking powder, and buttermilk. After the mixture is pea-sized, add the buttermilk to create a dough. Try to avoid making the same mistakes everyone makes when making biscuits by not overworking your dough: Use a lighter touch to ensure flaky results, and keep things cold. If you overwork the dough, then your biscuits will be heavy and dense. When done correctly, you'll get flaky, endlessly layered biscuits that are incredibly tender and buttery.
Use them as you would any regular biscuit — slather them in butter while still warm, top them with a fried or poached egg, or use them for a sandwich. You can up your biscuit game by using any stragglers in your fridge, like hard cheeses or herbs. Cheddar, parmesan, or Grana Padano would work nicely, and fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, or rosemary would be delicious. Grate your cheese when you grate the butter, and finely chop some and add them before you add your buttermilk.
Flaky biscuits are the tip of the iceberg for leftover mashed potatoes
Leftover mashed potatoes can become like gluey wallpaper paste if they're reheated for too long in a microwave or at too high a temperature. Reheating your mashed potatoes on the stove with a splash of milk or stock will solve this problem. However, they take really well to reinvention, so if you have a chance to use mashed potatoes in amazing ways, don't miss the opportunity.
Perhaps one of the most common ways to reuse mashed potatoes is by making easy mashed potato cakes. They're a great accompaniment to your leftover roasted chicken and gravy, or add a bit of cheddar to the mix for a fun addition to fried or poached eggs. You can also use a waffle iron for a twist on the pancake formula. Potato waffles give you crispy nooks and crannies to douse in gravy, Hollandaise, or layer smoked salmon on.
If you have more time and effort to spare, use your leftover mashed potatoes for pierogi ruskie – Polish potato and cheese dumplings. Grab some farmer's cheese or cottage cheese, whip up a quick pierogi dough recipe, and enjoy. Or, go with fried mashed potato balls, like potato-y arancini. Fillings and add-ons are your choice — like a loaded baked potato – or lean into the arancini and wrap the potatoes around Italian sausage or mozzarella. With so many options, you'll never have to settle for basic reheated mashed potatoes ever again.