Leftover mashed potatoes can be used for many things. They can be used to make patties, such as these ones here or they can be put into quesadillas, fried in some butter with a few eggs for breakfast...really let your imagination go wild. They are neutral in flavor so will go well with many things. Cheers!

Thanks for the ideas Dawn. I'm going to give the patties a try. Never thought of putting them in quesadillas though....sounds like a good replacement for refried beans maybe. To fry them, would I need to add anything to them? Or just make sure that they're good and cold/stiff to make the pattie? Also, I'm guessing that I'd better leave it be until it browns good on the one side before turning so it won't fall apart.

Everything you mention about the frying process sounds good Winnie - trust your instincts :-)

As far as adding stuff to the patties, it is sort of up to you. Just keep in mind the texture, size and moisture content of what ever you decide to add to the mix. Hope you enjoy. Cheers!

What about using the left-over potatoes for making gnocci, filling for pierogies, or German Style potatoe pancakes. We use them in this way. I am sure their are many more ways too! I'd like to hear them if others would please add to this list. Best Regards from North Carolina.

I made these mashed potatoes last night for a get-together with friends and they were fantastic (I also added garlic cloves to the water with the potatoes, omitted the nutmeg, food-milled everything, and added chives and chive flowers).

With regards to skimming the water while the potatoes are coming to a boil and simmering, If you're not planning to reuse the water in another application, what is the benefit of skimming? I am guessing that when you strain the potatoes some of the scum might stick to the potatoes and you don't want to rinse them, because you want to keep your potatoes hot for the mashing. Am I on the right track?

You are correct and on the right track. When cooking, skimming is a good habit to get into to remove any sort of impurities that float to the surface. It helps to keep the liquid clean and clear. Cheers!

If I add cream cheese to the mashed potatoes do I omit anything? Would red potatoes work for this recipe?

You could use red potatoes, such as Desiree. As for what you would leave out if you want to add cream cheese, it really depends on how much you use and what you want the final texture and flavor to be. I have not tried adding cream cheese to mashed potatoes (for this recipe) so it's hard to say exactly what you need to do.

This is where you need to experiment to see what works for you. You could try adding a bit of cream cheese and then a bit less of the other dairy products and then go from there. Or you could just start with the cream cheese and just use a bit of butter or cream. Again, it just comes down to experimenting and tweaking as you go. Just make sure the potatoes are creamy enough so they don't sit like a big solid pile of potatoes on the plate. Hope this helps. Cheers!

My wife purchased red potatoes for mashing a few weeks ago and the result was not good at all. I'm not sure what went wrong, but when I added the warm cream and butter, they formed a paste-like goo. Honestly, I could not get them to release and become fluffy - they were just sticky, stringy and inedible. I have always used yukon to get great results so I would not use red.

Red potatoes tend to be more waxy and can indeed turn somewhat gluey (depending on the variety). You can still use red potatoes but you may want to try just smashing them and adding a bit of butter/sour cream, green onions, etc. (as opposed to fully mashing them). Starchier potatoes, such as Yukon Golds or Russets will work better for mashing. Cheers!

Thanks Kimberly. I was sure someone would come on and tell me I must have done something terribly wrong to mess up the red potatoes. As you can imagine, trying to keep your potatoes in a near serving state while you cook the rest of the meal is hard enough - trying to unstick glue in that situation is frustrating beyong belief.

One question: I like to clarify butter while I'm boiling my potatoes and then add the foamy milk solids to the mix. This usually works very well. Do you think adding those solids to the red poatioes could have caused the glue?

I don't think the milk solids had anything to do with it. The type of potato and its starch content will have the most affect on the texture/fluffiness. Even though cooking is sometimes frustrating, you are always learning something so it is never a failure. It just comes down to practice and understanding your ingredients. The dish will be better next time and you'll understand why. Cheers!

As Kimberley mentioned, not all potatoes are created equal, so don't dismiss all red potatoes. I say this because I often cook my mashed potatoes using red "Désirée Potatoes" and they are delicious. The perfect balance of flavor and creaminess. These type of red potatoes, are great using most methods of cooking. In fact, I am currently roasting some as I type this comment :-) Cheers!

how is the roasted garlic added to the potatoes? is the garlic mashed and then added to the potatoes.

may i make the mashed potatoes a day ahead? To heat up the potatoes do I place it over a double boiler?

Roasted garlic can be added while while you mash the potatoes. The sooner you add them, the more they will be incorporated into the potatoes.

As for making the mashed potatoes ahead, we do not recommend this. We prefer to make them the day of as they are fluffier and more flavorful the day they are made. Just be sure that you have most of your other prep done ahead and the actual cooking and mashing shouldn't be too much of a hassle.

Hope that helps. Cheers!

Is it okay to soak the cut potatoes in water overnight or will soaking affect the potatoes? Just trying to save time. thankis

Yes you can soak the potatoes in water overnight. In fact, some say that is can create a fluffier mashed potato as some of the starches leech out into the water. Just make sure that the potatoes are fully covered--otherwise, they will turn brown. Before cooking, drain the water and continue according to the recipe. Cheers!