leftover mashed potato pancakes

It also seems a shame to use of mashed potatoes (totally my favorite leftover!), but these were pretty tasty. This was based on a potato dumpling recipe from The Cooking of Germany that I adapted.

0.5-1 c breadcrumbs
0.5 c flour
0.5 c farina (regular not quick-cooking type)
1.5 tsp salt
0.25 tsp pepper
3.5 c leftover mashed potatoes
2 eggs
oil for frying
extra flour for handling

Mix together all but last 2 ingredients. Chalk your hands like a gymnast with flour, repeating as necessary. (You will need plenty to form the pancakes without getting your hands super sticky.) Form pancakes.

Add pancakes to oil once it is just under the smoking point, and don't be skimpy on the oil. You just need to accept that you aren't going to make these all the time. (It should look hazy like heat over hot pavement but not actually smoking. It also has a distinctive smell, but that is harder to explain if you don't know it.) Once the edges are just golden brown *carefully* flip to cook other side. If you flip them before then or if the oil was not hot enough they will tend to fall apart. Once both sides are golden brown place on a plate with paper towels.

I thought the farina might give this a weird texture, but it didn't. cintyber pointed out that these would be quite tasty with fresh chopped flat leaf parsley, and I concur.