No Waste Food Challenge - Mashed Potatoes

Here we have the round-up of the January 2013 No Waste Food Challenge, a food blogger's challenge created by the lovely Kate from Turquoise Lemons and alternately hosted by myself. This challenge aims to inspire us to use up our leftovers thereby saving food waste. Trying to estimate the quantity of potatoes needed to feed three growing children consistently proves somewhat difficult for me. Sometimes they'll eat them, sometimes they won't, sometimes they want seconds, or even thirds so I always err on the side of caution and make extra. This often results in leftovers. I hate throwing away food so this month I set the challenge ingredient as mashed potatoes.

How did you use up your leftover mashed potatoes? Well, here goes...

First up we have Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen and her fantastic potato cakes. Janice rarely has any leftover mash since she's quite good at estimating quantities for one or two, but she made too much for New Years' Day lunch and so she made these delicious looking potatoes cakes with the leftovers.

Caroline from Caroline Makes made smoked mackerel fish cakes with her leftover mash using up some leftover homemade smoked mackerel pate, herbs, seasonings and breadcrumbs. She had them as a work lunch alongside some homemade low fat tartare sauce.

Becky from Mint Custard turned her leftover mash into potato scones. She says these are "Comfort food from my childhood and in these times of frugality and brilliant way to use up leftover mashed potato. N.B. The mash must be cold otherwise the dough will become gluey." She says they freeze well, and thinks that other leftover mashed root vegetables could be used - does anyone want to experiment?

Over at A Raisin and a Porpoise we find the answer to the question, “what to do with the leftover consequences of a crucial miscommunication regarding mashed potatoes?” Potato burgers! Her fabulous recipe involves potatoes, egg, cheese, some minced aromatic and something savoury pungent and exotic as well as the addition of some flax meal, should you fancy.

Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes used her leftover mash to make spicy tattie puffs. These frugal sausage roll type snacks include mashed potatoes, spicy curry paste, frozen peas and puff pastry. Portable comfort food, she says, which can be eaten hot or cold.

These gorgeous Aloo Chaat Masala burgers were made by Shaheen from Allotment 2 Kitchen. She says the tamarind-like seasoning Chaat Masala contains asofoetida, bay leaves, black pepper, caraway seeds, cardamon, cinnamon, cumin seeds, ginger, mango powder, red chilli, star anise and salt. A delicious sounding blend of spices, I think, and a fabulous sounding way to use up leftover mash.

Angela from My Golden Pear made these absolutely gorgeous potato cakes with piquante pepper salsa with her leftover mash. Peppadew peppers are one of Angela's favourite food products, and they sound and look fabulous in the salsa she made to accompany her potato cakes. Look at that photo! Don't you just want to jump into it and start eating!

These clever little bacon breakfast baskets were made by Kate from Turquoise Lemons for Farmhouse Breakfast Week. She made them by lining a muffin tin with bacon and then filling them leftover mashed potatoes, egg, tomatoes and cheese.

Claire from Foodie Quine made Arbroath smokie croquettes with beetroot relish with her leftover mash, a recipe she picked up at a Feast of Fish evening class she'd recently attended. She suggests other fish could be used, if smokies are not your thing. Her favourite ways to use up mash are fishcakes, stovies or corned beef hash.

Zero effort spicy carrot soup is what Claire from Dinner with Crayons came up with to use her leftover mash. She used just a little bit to improve the consistency of a quick carrot soup she'd whipped up using carrots, garlic, turmeric, cumin, cream and salt and topped with minced coriander from a jar.

Jane from Onions and Paper used her leftover mashed potatoes and celeriac to make these delicious looking potato waffles in the brand new electric waffle maker she won a few weeks ago. How lucky is she! I'm bookmarking this recipe as I think my children would love them.

Camilla from Fab Food 4 All made a fabulous cheese, ham and potato scone with her leftover mash. She's been testing out her brand new potato ricer and she's got one on her blog to give away in honour of National Potato Day - pop on over to enter her competition!

Claire from Foodie Quine also tried her hand at making these tattie scones for her cooked breakfast. She served them with Stornoway black pudding and a poached egg and she says that they was FAB-U-LOS!

Louisa, from Chez Foti has created these lovely cheese and tuna veggie bombs out of her leftover mash for her first ever entry to the No Waste Food Challenge. She says these bombs are "perfect for toddlers and young children, bigger kids, family dinners, mid-week suppers, the veggie adverse and the leftover ‘leftovers’ can be frozen for a later, even quicker, dinner."

Lastly, there are two entries from myself: I made chocolate pistachio cake using leftover mash. This imparts rather an interesting and moist texture to a dense chocolaty cake.

I also made some trout fishcakes using up some trout which have been sitting in my freezer since the summer. 

That ends the No Waste Food Challenge round up for January 2013. A great big special thank you to everyone who submitted a recipe. Do visit the challenge creator, Kate from Turquoise Lemons to see what leftovers she is challenging us to use up in February!