Potato Pancakes

3 cups of mashed potatoes

1 egg

3 tablespoons of flour

Vegetable oil, for pan-frying

Optional ingredients:

2/3 cup of cheese (cheddar or your favorite type)

½ cup of diced bacon

1 diced and seeded jalapeño

2 table spoons of scallions

½ cup of flour to dredge the pancakes before frying

In a large bowl combine mashed potatoes, egg (lightly beaten), and flour until combined. The number of eggs and amount of flour can vary depending upon the initial consistency of the mashed potatoes. If the mixture seems too wet add flour a tablespoon at a time until you can make ball. If the mixture seems too dry and won’t come together, add one more egg.

Using your (clean!) hands, divide the mixture into 10-12 portions. Roll each of those portions into a ball and flatten them until they’re about 1/3-inch thick.

Here you could choose to carefully, in a shallow dish, dredge the pancakes in flour.

Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. (The amount of vegetable oil will depend upon the size of your pan but you need enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.)

In batches, fry the pancakes until they are golden brown on each side, 3-5 minutes. Be sure to add more oil as needed between batches and to not overcrowd your pan (overcrowding can cause the pancakes to stick to each other or cause the pancakes not to brown.)

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle them with a dash of salt.

You can serve them plain or with a dollop of sour cream.