Leftover Mashed Potatoes = Fish Cakes

One of the most popular recipes on my site are my salmon cakes.....they are just so good, it's hard for me to try another type of fish cake.
But I found myself with leftover mashed potatoes (unheard of!), so fish cakes it would be.

Truth be told, I have never made mashed potatoes in my life.
I did not grow up eating them (how sad for me).
My mother was always a health nut so we only had baked potatoes cooked in aluminum foil to accompany that dried out chicken or steak.

But last night, I had leftover mashed from dinner OUT. So they were restaurant good.....lots of cream and butter, you can be sure.
I didn't have the heart to throw them away, so I took them home, ready to give them new purpose.

I poached a piece of salmon (18 minutes in water, bay leaves, peppercorns, fresh dill and lemon slices), so I had some poached salmon, and thought the fish w/ the mashed potatoes sounded like a good combination. Very British, no?

If you don't have poached salmon laying around, then by all means, use a can of good quality pink salmon.

These were yummy....

Here's how:

6 oz. of cooked cold salmon (I used poached)....you could also used canned salmon
1 cup of cooked cold mashed potatoes
1 egg
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (to bind)
salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
Using an ice cream scoop for even patties, scoop portions out onto the baking tray.

Keep in the fridge (at least 1 hour) until ready to cook.
These need to be cold or they will fall apart.

In a heavy non-stick skillet, heat some olive oil and cook the fish cakes 1 minute on each side.

Drain on paper towels and serve.

By all means, make a tartare sauce if you like, but these were delicious on their own.

These freeze well too....wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil.