How To Give Boring Leftover Mashed Potatoes A Deliciously Crispy Twist

Mashed potatoes are a pretty standard accompaniment to most holiday meals as they go equally well with Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas roast beef, or Easter ham. While they may not be the flashiest thing on the table, they're sufficiently innocuous that they don't make the list of everyone's most-hated holiday sides. The problem with mashed potatoes, though, is that the leftovers are singularly unappealing when cold and congealed and not all that exciting when reheated, either. What they are perfect for, however, is repurposing. There are any number of things you can do with leftover mashed potatoes, including using them to make shepherd's pie or a big old day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich, but if you're a fan of all things crispy and crunchy, the best thing to do is to waffle them.

According to the dictionary, waffle is a verb as well as a noun, even though it's defined to mean rambling on and on without providing much value (which is kind of what we're doing now, come to think of it). We're using it in a different sense, however, meaning to make it into a waffle. While you could just plop the mashed potatoes on a waffle maker and hope for the best, you may obtain better results if you mix in 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of flour per cup. You can also add additional butter or spices if you like, although this may not be necessary if the potatoes have already been seasoned. Cook the batter in the waffle iron the same way you would a standard waffle, then enjoy that crispy, potatoey goodness.

Just as mashed potatoes themselves taste better with a scoop of gravy, so, too, are mashed potato waffles improved by a little embellishment. In fact, gravy would work as a potato waffle topper, too, and you could also pile them with turkey and cranberry sauce if you still have either or both on hand. Cheese is another perfect potato pairing, so you could either melt some over the top of the waffles or stir it into the batter. The same goes for bacon — a few strips on top, or crumbled and stirred in before you cook the waffles. A fried or poached egg would be another potential potato waffle topper, as would sour cream, and smoked salmon (or caviar, if you're feeling super-fancy).

It's also possible to make mashed potato waffles perfect for pairing with sweeter waffle toppings like maple syrup, or jelly. To do this, you'll probably want to start with plain mashed potatoes, not ones that have been seasoned with garlic or cheese (except for cream cheese, since that lends itself equally well to sweet or savory applications). Along with the flour and egg, stir 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar into the potato waffle batter. If the thought of sweetened mashed potatoes (as opposed to mashed sweet potatoes) sounds a bit odd, consider this: Mashed potatoes were often added to old-time cake and cookie recipes to provide both starch and lift as they don't affect the flavor to any great extent.