Leftover Mashed Potato Doughnuts

Ever have extra mashed potatoes after dinner that you just have no idea what to do with? I have a habit of not wanting to waste anything. But I also am not a fan of leftovers. So how do I not waste food but not have to reheat it? I repurpose my leftovers into something new. My Leftover Mashed Potato Doughnuts are the perfect example.

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Leftovers Not Your Thing?

If you are like me, you love what you cook the first day but really don’t want to reheat it. Unless it’s lasagna. Lasagna always just seems better the second day. (Maybe that’s just me?)

Because I have always been like this, I’ve come up with plans to “reinvent” the food in the fridge so that I don’t feel like I’m eating leftovers. From shredding up leftover Roasted Chicken for soup or Chicken N Noodles to making my leftover mashed potatoes into these yummy doughnuts, I love reusing food.

Mashed Potatoes

I love mashed potatoes. There are so many things we meal plan that use mashed potatoes as a side dish.

And did you know that you can freeze your leftover mashed potatoes?

Really!! Just bag them up in a freezer bag, label and date them, and pull them out later for these Leftover Mashed Potato Doughnuts. Grab yourself a set of these bag holders to make filling the bag super simple.

Twist on Traditional Doughnuts

I love experimenting with my food. Adding new flavors and hints of things to a recipe is just part of how I cook. My beautiful hubby has the exact same experimental personality with food, but he tends to forget how picky of an eater I am. Sometimes it works out; other times I find something else to eat.

Think about all the new Artisanal breads on the shelves in stores. They have all kinds of new types of breads to choose from.

If you have Irish in your heritage, I’m sure that a lot of your family recipes include potatoes. A lot of the breeds of potatoes that are commonly grown in Ireland are very starchy. Because of the starchiness of the potato, it was simply no-brainer to use these in bread.

Potato Bread has been around for a very long time. Humans are very smart when it comes to finding ways to feed their families. Realizing that the starch in potatoes can be converted into flour came rather quickly. And potatoes are relatively cheap and easy to grow. What better way to feed your family when you don’t have a lot of money?

You can read more about the History of Potato Bread here.

Leftover Mashed Potato Doughnuts

Just a note about making these wonderful Leftover Mashed Potato Doughnuts and freezing leftover mashed potatoes. If you make mashed potatoes including any seasonings or ingredients other than traditional milk, butter, salt and pepper, DO NOT use the flavored mashed potatoes in these doughnuts.

While most times I do the traditional pan version of deep frying my doughnuts, these can be air fried also. I like the old-fashioned way (obviously) and even have a 1/2 gallon mason jar labeled for frying sweet things, like doughnuts and funnel cakes.

When air frying, the trick to getting the texture right on the surface is to spray lightly with oil when you put them into the fryer, and then again halfway through the cooking time. This gets that almost crispy outside while leaving the inside light and fluffy. Doughnut perfection.

Leftover Mashed Potato Doughnuts

Leftover Mashed Potato Doughnuts

Cut Down on Food Waste. Make some Leftover Mashed Potato Doughnuts today.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:5 minutes mins

Rising Time:1 hour hr

Ingredients

• 1 c white sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 2 tbsp butter or shortening
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 c flour sifted

Instructions

• Cream shortening.
• Gradually add sugar, beating continually until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Add the mashed potatoes to the creamed shortening mixture.
• Add milk and flour alternately, stirring until well blended.
• Chill dough for 30 minutes.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick.
• Cut with a floured doughnut cutter and let stand uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Drop in batches into hot oil (375F) and fry 3-56 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to turn as they brown.
• Drain on paper towels.

To Air Fry:

• Spray rested cut dough with oil. Air fry at 375 for 3 minutes. Spray again with oil and return to fryer for an additional 3-5 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Course: Baking, breads, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: doughnut, doughnuts, leftovers, mashed potatoes, potatoes, reinvent

Servings: 12

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