Potato Pampushki - mashed potato cakes with a creamy cheese and herb filling. Leftover mashed potatoes and grated raw potatoes form the outside of the crisp and golden patties, making them both tender and crisp.
Reviving leftovers is a skill and an art worthy of attention. I don't know about you, but most dishes, with some exceptions of course, are not very exciting to eat the next day. It is such an accomplishment when you can bring something to the dinner table that nobody could ever guess was a re-created leftover and looks elegant and tastes amazing.
Pampushki are starchy little morsels usually served with soup, such as Borsch. Most of the time, pampushki are yeast rolls, often drizzled with butter and garlic. These pampushki are made with potatoes.
There are so many different variations of potato cakes. The unique touch about these pampushki is that they are made with a combination of mashed potatoes and shredded raw potatoes. They are creamy, but at the same time have some crunch to them from the raw potato. Golden and crisp on the outside, they contain a smooth, cheesy filling, made from farmer's cheese, parmesan and chives. You can use just about any filling that you like, caramelized onions and bacon, meat, mushrooms, roasted veggies, smoked salmon, etc.
Watch the Video Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups mashed potatoes
1 ½ lbs of potatoes, about 4 medium-sized (preferably Yukon Gold)
salt, pepper, to taste
½ cup farmer's cheese or ricotta
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (you can use any other cheese that you like)
fresh parsley and chives, minced
2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
oil, for pan frying
Instructions:
Peel potatoes and grate on a box grater. Squeeze out all moisture by placing the potatoes in a cheesecloth or kitchen towel and squeeze out all excess moisture. 
Combine the grated potatoes with the mashed potatoes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. You can also add caramelized onions to the potato mixture for added flavor. Set aside. 
In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients for the cheese filling. 
Take about a ¼ cup of potato mixture and form into a patty. Place about a 1 ½ teaspoon of the cheese filling and place into the center of the patty. 
Fold the potato mixture over the cheese filling, shaping it into an oval shape. 
In a nonstick skillet, heat about 2 Tablespoons of oil and add the pampushki. 
Cook the potato pampushki on medium heat, about 5-7 minutes per side, until golden brown. 
Drain the potato pampushki on paper towels. The potato pampuski are delicious with Borsch:). You can even make them half as small and serve as cute little appetizers.
Potato Pampushki With Cheese Filling
Potato Pampushki - mashed potato cakes with a creamy cheese and herb filling. Leftover mashed potatoes and grated raw potatoes form the outside of the crisp and golden patties, making them both tender and crisp.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 16 potato cakes 1x
- Category: Sides
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups mashed potatoes
- 1 ½ lbs of potatoes, about 4 medium-sized (preferably Yukon Gold)
- salt, pepper
- ½ cup farmer's cheese or ricotta
- 4 oz Mozzarella cheese, grated (you can use any cheese that you like)
- fresh parsley and chives, minced
- 2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
- oil, for pan frying
Instructions
- Peel the raw potatoes and grate on a box grater. Squeeze out all the moisture by placing the potatoes in a cheesecloth or kitchen towel and squeeze out all excess moisture.
- Combine the grated potatoes with the mashed potatoes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, the farmer's cheese, Mozzarella cheese, fresh herbs and heavy cream for the cheese filling. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine. You can substitute ricotta or cottage cheese for the farmer's cheese. Depending on how dry the cheese mixture will be, add more or less heavy cream, just enough for it to all come together smoothly.
- Take about a ¼ cup of potato mixture and form into a patty. Place about a tablespoon of the cheese filling and place into the center of the patty. Fold the potato mixture over the cheese filling, shaping it into an oval shape.
- In a nonstick skillet, heat about 2 Tablespoons of oil and add the potato cakes. Cook the potato cakes on medium heat, about 5-7 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Drain the potato cakes on paper towels and serve warm.
oh my god these look so delicious! It's breakfast time, but I already want these for dinner tonight!! Thanks for this recipe!
Thank you, Louise! I hope you enjoy the Pampushki:).
This seems like a really good idea! And pretty simple. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
these sound soo good, but as long as it's potatoes I'm happy! please tell me about how many potatoes you used to make the mashed potatoes. Thank you!
I have a small question - can the mashed potatoes used in this recipe have been made with butter and buttermilk and such, or should the mashed potatoes be 'just' potatoes?
Yes, you can use other ingredients in the mashed potatoes, just be careful that they aren't too soft, otherwise they will fall apart when you are frying them.
Do you cook the potatoes before grating them?
No, Marisa, you do not. Only the mashed potatoes are cooked.
Olga -- Just what I was looking for to use leftover mashed potatoes and ricotta cheese! It reminds me of something my Bohemian grandmother would have made! Just wondering -- can the extras be frozen for cooking at a later time? Thanks much!
Usually potatoes do not fare well after being frozen, Jody. However, I have not tried it, so I can't say for sure.
Just so you know -- I did try to freeze them -- and they turned out perfect! I froze in the raw state, thawed completely, then fried in butter -- they were just as delicious! thanks again!
I'm so glad to hear that, Jody. Thanks so much for taking the time to write and let me know.
What a wonderful recipe! I came here via Pinterest and now I can't wait to try out this recipe!
Welcome, Kaylene! I hope you'll be able to find other recipes to enjoy here too.
Tried these !
They were absolutely delicious. Husband loved them too 🙂 thank you Olga. Such a simple recipe and so delicious.
That's great, Sarah.
I'm glad you liked them. Spruced up leftovers are always a plus.
these look amazing...im glad they don't have flour in them as I have a gluten sensitivity...thanks for your amazing site!
Made these tonight, they were a big hit! I was out of cream so I used Turkish yoghurt instead, and it worked really well, moist on the inside crispy on the outside! Thanks!
I absolutely love your dishes! I'll try this tomorrow night. Love from Istanbul 🙂
Wow! Istanbul?! That's awesome! Thank you so much, Melisa.
These pumpushki look yummy....they are on my list to do. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thank you, Iryna! With my love for potatoes, I just had to give these a try and I'm so glad I did. I hope you'll like them too.
Yummy!!! These pampushki sounds so good. Love ricotta recipes.
Oh..... These just look so delish!!! So making these for Sundays brunch:)
Olichka thanks for ur recipes can u post more cakes! lots of guests this summer and wanna try more cakes:)