SAEDNEWS: Simple, reliable recipes are rare — the ones that truly succeed for home cooks do one thing above all: they work. These potato, scallion, and kale cakes— crisp-edged fritters that turn leftover mashed potatoes into a breakfast, side, or make-ahead snack the whole family will like.
What makes a recipe great? In the author’s view, it’s a short checklist that keeps coming back to the same point: it must work for ordinary kitchens without special skills or voodoo. A great recipe explains clearly, anticipates common mistakes, and tempts you into the kitchen. These cakes pass that test: they’re forgiving, adaptable and surprisingly inspiring — the sort of dish that can nudge you out of cooking ennui.
The writer added kale to the original to introduce a leafy note — not as a stunt, but because it lifts the cakes and makes them slightly more substantial.
Item | Detail |
|---|---|
Yield | About 14–15 cakes |
Main ingredients | Leftover mashed potatoes, scallions, kale |
Cook time | A few minutes per batch on the stovetop |
Keep warm | 200°F oven while finishing batches |
Adapted from | Bert Greene’s Greene on Greens; featured in Food52’s Genius Recipes |
Quantity | Ingredient |
|---|---|
12 | scallions (use fewer if yours are thick) |
1 handful | kale leaves (about 3 lacinato leaves), stems removed and chiffonade |
2 | eggs, lightly beaten |
1/4 tsp | freshly ground nutmeg (optional) |
1/2 tsp | coarse or kosher salt (reduce if potatoes are seasoned) |
To taste | freshly ground black pepper |
1/3 cup | fresh bread crumbs or panko |
1 1/2 cups | cold leftover mashed potatoes |
1 tbsp | olive oil |
2 tbsp | vegetable oil |
Clean and trim the scallions, leaving about 2 inches of green stem; reserve the darker tops for garnish if you like. Cook the scallions in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, wring out well, and chop finely. (The original recipe suggests blanching scallions to tame their bite; you may skip this step or use fewer scallions if you prefer a sharper flavor.)
In a medium bowl, combine the chopped scallions, sliced kale, beaten eggs, nutmeg (if using), salt, pepper, bread crumbs and the cold mashed potatoes. Stir to combine; the batter will be loose and wet — that’s normal.
Heat the olive and vegetable oils in a large skillet over medium–high heat until very hot but not smoking. Use about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake (a small cookie scoop works well). Flatten each mound in the pan to form a cake.
Cook until golden brown underneath, a couple of minutes, then flip and brown the second side until crisp. Drain briefly on paper towels — handle gently, as the cakes are still fragile. Keep finished cakes warm in a 200°F oven while you fry the remaining batter, adding more oil as needed and letting the pan cool between batches if it becomes too hot.
Scatter with the reserved scallion tops if desired, and serve with a crispy fried egg, a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt. These cakes make a hearty accompaniment to a salad or can stand alone as a casual meal. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.
Notes & variations
The recipe welcomes substitutions: another firm green or a thinly shaved vegetable (salted and drained zucchini, for example) would work if not too wet.
If you don’t have leftover mashed potatoes, the author made a quick batch from 3 small/medium Yukon Golds, boiled and riced while warm with butter and buttermilk, then cooled before using.
Nutmeg is optional — the recipe author skipped it without issue.
