Leftover Potato Patties

Turn leftover mashed potatoes into a really simple and delicious meal perfect for anytime of the day. These Leftover Potato Patties are so versatile cooked on the stove or air fryer.

What are leftover potato patties?

As the name suggests, the main ingredient in these very simple patties is leftover mashed potatoes. The only other addition is egg and there you have a tasty leftover potato patty!

This recipe doesn’t claim to be anything fancy, it is just an easy and delicious way to make the most of your leftovers.

These patties will always hold a special place in my heart because it was my Dad who came up with this idea. He would agree with me that he wasn’t much of a cook, but these were simple enough for him to make and enjoy before he met my Mum.

A great use for leftover mashed potatoes

I always struggle with how many potatoes to peel to make the right amount of mashed potato. Personally, I would always rather there was more food than people wanted rather than too little.

Too much means there are leftovers which I always like to find a use for!

These leftover potato patties are a great way to use up your leftover mashed potatoes. The recipe below is really more of a guide than anything else.

This is because it is quite unlikely you will have exactly the same amount of leftover mashed potatoes! Whatever amount you do have, add enough eggs to bind the potato enough so you can form patties.

But don’t worry if you don’t get it quite right. If you add one egg too many then they will be a little more loose which won’t affect their flavour but may dictate how you cook them.

And if you don’t add enough egg then they might fall apart slightly as you cook them. Either way they will still taste great!

which mashed potatoes can be used?

Pretty much any leftover cold mashed potatoes can be used to make these patties.

More often than not, my mashed potatoes have milk and butter in them. They also always have plenty of salt. However if you don’t have creamed mashed potatoes then you can still make these patties.

I always make mashed potatoes from scratch, but I know lots of people like to use shortcuts. All types of mashed potatoes will work for this recipe so all you have to do is make sure you have leftovers!

how to cook potato patties

For years I cooked these leftover potato patties in a pan, like my Dad always did. However after loving how my bubble & squeak turned out in the air fryer, I decided to give these a try too and they were fantastic!

The only instance where I would recommend you stick to a pan would be the amount of egg you have added has made your mixture quite loose. This might then be a little tricker to flip in an air fryer.

Why should you try air frying leftover potato patties?

Unlike pan frying, you can leave the air fryer to do all of the work for you. You don’t have to monitor it and can get on with other things.

Air frying also uses less oil then pan frying. I add more oil each time I add a new batch of patties to the pan to get them nice and crisp which can add up. With the air fryer I spray with a little oil to help the process but it isn’t essential.

Also depending on the size of your air fryer you should be able to cook more patties than you might be able to fit in a pan.

As with my air fryer bubble & squeak, I now prefer to air fry these potato patties.

do you need to preheat an air fryer?

That depends on your air fryer, some require preheating whilst others don’t. I have a Ninja 7-in-1 multicooker and a Ninja Foodi Flexdrawer and I have never preheated either of them.

If your air fryer does require preheating, check the patties a minute or two sooner than the recipe states. Likewise if you are cooking more than one batch of air fryer bubble and squeak, the further patties are likely to cook a little quicker.

can you use an air fryer liner?

Air fryer liners are a great time saving addition because they are usually easier to wash than the basket of your air fryer.

Most reusable air fryer liners are silicone and although they are handy to have, I wouldn’t recommend using them for all recipes.

These leftover potato patties are a recipe I would definitely recommend using a liner. I prefer to use parchment paper to help prevent these patties from sticking to your air fryer basket.

The moisture from the potatoes and egg increases the risk of them sticking which is why I think lining your air fryer is the best option. Parchment paper or any liner similar won’t interfere with the cooking time as it is very thin.

I’ve written a whole post on whether you should use an air fryer liner, check it out for more information.

how to serve leftover potato patties

These leftover potato patties are very versatile. They can be eaten just as they are or incorporated into a larger breakfast or brunch.

I like to eat them with bacon, but they would also work as part of a fry up. You can make them as big or as small as you like. If you are making a few of these, then I would recommend keeping them warm in a low oven until you are ready to serve.

other recipes you might like

• Bubble & Squeak
• Thick & Fluffy American Pancakes
• Blueberry & Lemon American Pancakes
• Egg & Bacon Puff Pastries
• Broccoli & Potato Hash

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