Mashed Potato Biscuits

I don’t know about you, but every time I open the fridge, I’m faced with what seems like billions of little containers of leftover this and leftover that. Yesterday, when asked “What’s for breakfast?” I started searching the little containers and discovered some mashed potatoes. It got me thinking about these biscuits I used to make from an old Irish recipe for Potato Cakes. No longer having the recipe, I decided to start from scratch and memory. And really? What’s better than a warm, flavorful biscuit with breakfast?

Mashed Potato Biscuits
(makes about 12)

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour (divided)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups mashed potatoes (warm or cold)
1/2 cup milk (or soy milk)
1 large egg (lightly beaten)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375º F. Put 2 cups of the flour in a large bowl and add the salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together to combine thoroughly.

Add the mashed potatoes, milk, and beaten egg. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon until the dough becomes a sticky, shaggy mass. You may want to switch to using your hands at this point – I suggest latex or nitrile gloves, but that’s just me.

Start adding additional flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, while mixing lightly, until the dough comes together in a relatively smooth ball. Try not to overwork it. The dough will still be soft and slightly sticky, but much easier to work with.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat it down with your hands to half-inch thickness. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top, and using a 3-inch round cutter, or even just a drinking glass, cut out the biscuits and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet about an inch apart. You can also line your baking sheet with a silicone liner or non-stick foil, if you prefer.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with your choice of milk, soy milk, or melted butter – just a bit – and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly golden brown.

Notes:

You’ll notice that there’s no fat in this recipe. Doesn’t need it. The potatoes keep these biscuits moist. Mine didn’t, but if your leftover mashed potatoes already contain butter, etc., all the better!

Potato Biscuits are pretty quick to throw together, and you can freeze these leftovers in a freezer bag for future use. They’re more substantial than your traditional baking powder biscuits and work great for breakfast sandwiches, sopping up gravy, or just a bit of butter and some of my Freakin’ Flamingo Five Fruit Marmalade. Just a weensy little plug?