Leftover French Fries
July 13 was National French Fry Day. A holiday I certainly enjoy celebrating. It’s a great day to eat French fries and not feel guilty. It is reported that Americans on average consume from 16-20 pounds of French fries per year. GASP!! Really not that much considering a side of fries is around 1/2 lb, well at least from my favorite place, www.jazzdaddys.com (side note, if you have never tried their Jazz Daddy Special, worth the drive from anywhere!) So for all the French fries consumed, think about how many are left behind or wasted. Cold French fries aren’t any good…or are they?
Uses for Leftover French Fries
To kick off National French Fry day I presented 4 Ways to Use Cold Leftover French Fries on my monthly morning news segment. When it comes to using cold French fries, your two best allies are a mini food processor and an old-fashioned box grater.
1. Coating for chicken, fish, or pork chops: Put fries into mini food processor to make crumbs and use as you would bread crumbs. (I made chicken tenders in the above picture-Bake 375 for 15 minutes) Remember Taters To Go Please? I used the potato crumbs on fish. It was one of my first few blog posts where I confessed my true love?!
2. German Style Potato Pancake: Make a meal for yourself! Grate leftover French fries using the large holes of a box grater. 
Add 1 beaten egg to 1 cup potatoes & 1 TBSP (or two) of shredded cheese, 1 tsp favorite seasoning, and/or a little minced onion. Press mixture into hot iron skillet coated with olive oil. Cook until crispy around edges. Use plate to invert. Put other side down & cook until brown. Top with choice of toppings: Sunny side up eggs for breakfast. Sour cream & chives for a quick lunch. Chili & cheese for dinner! Get creative!
Leftover French Fry Potato Pancake
3. Crispy bits: The crispy bits are my favorite part of eating French fries-those crispy, crunchy bits usually found at the bottom of an order of fries.
Use the mini food processor to process fries into crumbs. Spread crumbs onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Spray with non-stick spray or olive oil. 
Bake 350* for 15 minutes. Use crispy bits 
to add crunch to steamed vegetables, like green beans 
and broccoli or use crispy bits as a substitute topping on your favorite casserole.
4. Cheese Fry Wafers: 
This recipe came out of my admiration for cheese fries (and my cheese fry craving). Yes, I could have just added cheese to cold French fries and broiled into a dreamy cheesy combination, but then I would have eaten the whole thing in one sitting. Making cheese fry wafers allows me to satisfy my cheese fry craving a few times and share them with my hubby, for he would never eat a cheese fry, but loves these. They are just like a cheese straws only made with French fry crumbs from the processor
along with butter, flour, and cheese for the dough. 
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more/less depending on taste)
- 1/2 tsp Cajun or Creole Seasoning
- 4 TBSP butter
- 1/2 cup minced French fries
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 1 egg
- Grated Parmesan for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400*
- In a bowl, add flour, mustard, seasonings, with a pinch of salt. Cut in butter. Use fingers or pastry blender to rub butter into flour until mixture forms fine crumbles.
- Mix in French fries, cheese, and egg and stir until combined.
- Turn mixture onto lightly floured board. Knead gently until dough is smooth. Wrap in plastic. Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Grease baking sheet with non-stick spray.
- Roll teaspoons of dough into small balls. Place balls on baking sheet and gently flatten. (Dough also can be rolled into a log and sliced thinly.)
- Sprinkle tops with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
Awesome! Never knew there were so many ways to enjoy French Fries. Very clever recipes for making makeover leftover fries. I love French Fries in any shape or form. I can now enjoy them everyday of the week in a different menu. Thanks Chef Susanne 🙂