The week after Christmas is left-overs week at my house, so when I saw a hundred-year-old recipe for Potato Puffs I had to give them a try.
The Potato Puffs were light and creamy with just a hint of onion. When, I served the Potato Puffs, my daughter said, “Mom, this recipe is one of your better hundred-year-old recipes.” In other words, this recipe is a winner.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Potato Puffs
2 cups warm mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon onion, grated (use additional grated onion if desired)
milk, as needed
salt and pepper, optional
Preheat oven to 425° F. Stir the egg into the mashed potatoes. If too thick, add a little milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drop heaping teaspoons of the potato mixture onto a greased baking sheet. Bakes 20 – 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Notes: (1) If left-over mashed potatoes have been refrigerated, warm in a microwave or on the stove top, prior to adding the egg. The potatoes only need to be warm, not hot. If the potatoes are quite hot, be sure to immediately start vigorously stirring when the egg is added to keep the egg from beginning to coagulate. (2) Potato Puffs may be refrigerated and reheated. Put in a 400 ° F oven for 20 minutes or until hot.
A Hundred Years Ago 
What a brilliant ,easy idea! I don’t have many leftover potatoes from yesterday,but I know I will sometime… 😄
I always find it difficult to estimate how many mashed potatoes people will eat at family holiday gatherings. Sometimes they go quickly; other times the languish. 🙂
Me,too!!
Leftover potatoes aren’t an issue around here, since I don’t eat many potatoes, and mashed ones almost never. However, I do make shepherd’s pie from time to time, wtih mashed potatoes on top. It occurs to me that this would work for that topping, too. It would be lighter, and might make a good dish even better.
I don’t think that I’ve ever made shepherd’s pie so I’m not very familiar with the process used to top it with the mashed potatoes – but based on what you said it sounds like these might work well.
“Process” is a pretty fancy word. We always just made the base (ground beef, green beans, corn, carrots and such), put it in a casserole dish, and then topped it with mashed potatoes, neatly swirled and dotted with butter. Bake until bubbly and brown, and there you have it. If it ever gets cold down here, I’m ready to make it again!
mmm. . . It sounds delicious. It’s cold here, and I’m thinking of making some comfort foods.
This is a new idea for me. Looks delicious!
Potato puffs are a fun way to serve potatoes.
I sent this to my mashed potato crazy daughter!
If she’s looking for ways to use mashed potatoes, I think that she’d enjoy the Potato Puffs.
Oh, they sound delish! Saving that recipe!
It’s nice to hear that you liked this post.
Good morning, Sheryl, I write a “100 Years Ago” column for the local newspaper and found a potato pancake recipe using leftover mashed potatoes, too. Haven’t tried it. My grandmother (and that’s going back 100 years!) made a potato popover recipe that always fascinated me as a kid because half way through the deep frying process, they popped over! Your baked recipe would be a lot more calorie friendly. Although just a recent subscriber to your blog, I am enjoying it immensely!
What a fun food memory! The wonderful visual image that you create of the popovers makes makes me want to try them. Your newspaper column sounds like something I’d really enjoy. 🙂
I may make some mashed potatoes just to try this one!
I like that it’s an easy recipe to make.
sounds delicious! I have a recipe from my mom which is a chocolate potato cake. I will post it tomorrow when I find it. Very filling and delicious.
Your mother’s Tater Cake sounds wonderful. Potatoes are a really interesting cake ingredient. I’m including the link to your post in case other readers would like to check it out:
https://cupcakecacheblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/tater-cake/
This is certainly a recipe I’ll try with my leftover mashed potatoes!
It’s a nice way to use left-over potatoes.
These sound delicious! My ex-mother-in-law use to do a similar recipe except she shaped the mixture into patties and fried them. I don’t remember what she added, but I suspect it was similar to the puffs. Definitely a recipe to keep. Thanks for sharing!
I posted a recipe for Potato Cakes several years ago that sounds similar to your ex-mother-in-law’s recipe.
https://ahundredyearsago.com/2012/03/13/old-fashioned-potato-cakes/
I really like Potato Cakes. The frying process creates a crispy crust–and the fat adds a nice flavor. That said, Potato Puffs are probably healthier – and (though it seems odd to say with a hundred-year-old recipe) perhaps seem a bit more modern.
I’m going to try both! Thank you!
I’m going to give these a try. Nice pic!
It’s nice to hear that you liked the picture. I think that I’m gradually getting better at photography. Sometimes I look at the pictures that I used to illustrate recipes during the early years of this blog and am appalled at how low quality some were – though even today I still have my ups and downs when it comes to photography. 🙂
What a nice recipe for potato! Will try!
If you make this recipe, you’ll have to let us know what you think. Other readers always find it so helpful to read comments about others’ experiences with a recipe.
Those really sound good! And what a nice way to serve leftover mashed potatoes.
I always like recipes that turn left-overs into interesting new dishes. 🙂
Sounds easy and delicious, so that’s a winner! 🙂
I agree – recipes that are easy and tasty are best. 🙂
I’ll bet these are tasty. With my first quick glance at the picture, I thought they were macaroons–love how they crisp up at the top!
When I made the Potato Puffs I was pleasantly surprised by how well they browned and held their shape.
This does sound good. Sort of like baked mashed potatoes.
Kind of – The inner part of the Potato Puffs still has the consistency of mashed potatoes, though the outer layer has a crust
This would be great on Passover.
This sounds really yummy! Happy New Year to you and yours, Sheryl!
This is another of “yours” I have to try! Thanks for continuing your blog post Diary, it is still fun (and sometimes delicious!).