Potato Pancakes for St. Patrick’s Day

Potato Pancakes for St. Patrick’s Day. When I think about the comfort foods of my childhood, potato pancakes are high on the list. My Irish grandmother would make these all time, these or potato scones and we loved them.

I have not had these since she had made them so long ago. I miss my wonderful grandmother as she lived with us and was like a second mother to me. It’s great for me to have so many fond memories involving her and one of them is of her making these Potato Pancakes.

She never had a recipe and I asked her countless times and she said: “oh it is just a pinch of this and a mouthful of that”. Like many others of her generation, she never had anything written down it was all in the feel. Which is all well and good until you try to make your own and are left wondering what a pinch was and how big your grandmother’s hand was anyway?

I attempted to make potato pancakes last St. Patrick’s Day and failed miserably!! I believe that the key is that you have to have mashed potatoes that are cold and have sat overnight. Using leftover mashed potatoes from the previous day’s dinner is a great way to use up leftovers. It also allows you to have the perfect mashed potatoes for this recipe. Another great potato dish is our Colcannon Recipe, perfect for any time too. 

I made these and Amber, our daughter, thought she died and gone to Irish heaven!! She was stunned that I had never made them for her before!!

I had to cut her off at 5 pancakes or I would not have had one. She devoured them. Ken was very thrilled to have some when he came home too and we enjoyed them with a nice big salad.

Served as we did, they’re a great vegetarian meal, but these would make a great side for sausages or corned beef for your St. Paddy’s Day celebrations.

Crack open a Guinness and you are celebrating the day. They are crispy good on the outside and creamy and soft on the inside. A perfect potato pancake and just like how I remembered them.

How to Make Potato Pancakes

To make potato pancakes, you’ll need 2 cups of cold mashed potatoes, an egg, a quarter cup of flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. If you want, you can also add chives. You’ll also need some canola oil to fry the potato pancakes in.

Mix the potatoes, egg, flour, and spices together in a medium-sized bowl. If you want to include chives, they should be mixed in during this step as well. You can use a food processor if you prefer.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add some canola oil to the skillet to cover the bottom of the pan. 2-3 tablespoons should be enough.

Take a small amount of the potato mixture and form it into a patty with your hands.

Place the patty into the hot oil. Fry for a couple of minutes until it is golden brown. The outside should be crispy but not burnt. Flip the patty over and fry the other side.

When both sides are golden brown, remove the patty and place it on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Repeat until all of the potato mixture has been used.

Serve hot. If you are making a lot, you can place the finished potato pancakes on a baking sheet and stick them in a 300-degree oven to keep them warm.

Check out our new video here on how easy they are to make!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! Enjoy!!

Potato Pancakes Recipe

Potato Pancakes for St. Patrick's Day

Tara Noland

The perfect potato pancake is fried crispy and delicious and is the best use of leftover mashed potatoes around!!

4.82 from 71 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 minutes mins

Total Time 16 minutes mins

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine Irish

Servings 6

Calories 132 kcal

Ingredients

 

• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt pepper and powdered garlic to taste
• Chives optional
• Canola oil for frying

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, egg, flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and chives, if using.
• Preheat a large skillet with 2-3 Tbsp. of canola or enough to give an even layer in the pan.
• Form the potato mixture into patties and fry them for a couple of minutes until they are golden brown. Turn over and fry them on the other side. Serve hot with a sprinkling of chives.

Video

Notes

Recipe adapted from Food.com by Thomas Danier

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 132kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 342mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g

Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

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