What To Do With Your Heaps Of Mashed Potatoes After Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving feast is the gift that keeps on giving — each year, our refrigerators are as stuffed as our stomachs, stocked with containers full of leftovers. Though you may never want to think about food again after Thanksgiving dinner, you have to get the most out of those leftovers before it's time to throw them out. Mashed potatoes are one of the most versatile leftovers you can play with — a delicious blank canvas for giving new life to a days-old Thanksgiving meal.

Perhaps the most common way to repurpose leftover mashed potatoes is to turn them into makeshift potato pancakes. Get some good fuel for Black Friday shopping by making potato pancakes and eggs the following morning. Scoop a few spoonfuls of mashed potatoes into your palms and shape them into patties. They will be cold from the refrigerator, so they should be easy to handle. Season each side with salt, pepper, garlic powder, or whatever seasonings you like, and pan fry them until the exterior is golden brown and the pancakes keep their compact shape. Serve with eggs, drizzle with leftover gravy, and you'll be wishing it were Thanksgiving all over again.

Making a mashed potato casserole is another easy way to reheat a large batch of mashed potatoes. Spoon your leftover mashed potatoes into a casserole dish, and top with cold cubes of butter to reintroduce some moisture and flavor into the potatoes. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until hot and the butter is melted. To incorporate some more leftovers from your Thanksgiving feast, mimic a shepherd's pie by lining the bottom of the casserole dish with vegetables, stuffing, and turkey. Pour some gravy over the mix, and cover with a layer of mashed potatoes. Top with cold butter, and bake in the oven until the entire casserole is hot all the way through.

Turn your entire Thanksgiving meal into a mashed potato hash. Throw all of your desired leftovers into a pan layered with oil or butter over medium heat. Gently chop the ingredients with a spatula, incorporating them into the mashed potatoes. Let the hash cook in the pan until everything is warmed up. Drizzle gravy over the top, and throw on some cranberry sauce (if you like it) sauce over the top. Serve the hash in a sandwich or open face on toasted bread.

To influence your family or housemates to finish the leftover mashed potatoes, you could also make a mashed potato bar. Reheat the mashed potatoes and other Thanksgiving foods and set up a serving station where people can use the other Thanksgiving leftovers as toppings for their mashed potatoes.