Ingredients:

3 cups chilled mashed potatoes

3/4 cup shredded chedar cheese

2 tablespoons chopped scallions, green and white parts

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Sea salt

Garnish:

Sour cream

Chopped or sliced scallions, green and white parts

Sliced red onions, optional

Instructions:

• In large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese, scallions, egg and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour until combined (see note). Divide the mixture into 12 portions. Roll each portion into a compact ball, then flatten it into a pancake about 1/2 inch thick.
• Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a shallow dish and carefully dredge each pancake in the flour.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
• Fry the pancakes, in batches, until they're golden brown and crispy on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Add more oil and butter to the pan as needed between the batches. (Do not overcrowd the pan, and do not flip the pancakes too soon or they won't develop a crisp crust.) Transfer the pancakes to a paper-towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with sea salt.

To Serve:

• Top potato pancakes with sour cream.
• Sprinkle with chopped or sliced scalions.
• Garnish with slices of red onion, optional.
• Serve warm.

Makes 12 pancakes.

Note: You can use leftover mashed potatoes for this recipe. Keep in mind that leftover mashed potatoes will vary in consistency, depending how much milk, cream, or butter was added to the original batch.

If the the mushed potato pancake mixture looks too dry and isn't holding together, add one more egg. If it looks too wet, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is cohesive.