The meals I loved the most were the ones that Mama stretched the food budget as far as she could. A big pot of beans with some cornbread or a pot of goulash and that old stand by, S.O.S.! If you are from the south, you more than likely know what those letters meant! WooWee...you couldn't say what it was because Mama would slap you into next week if she heard you! Anyhow, that is a recipe for another time.
Let me tell you about my Mama. She was a Hillbilly, thank God, and lived through some tough times. She learned to make do with what she had. She could take a pound of hamburger meat and make it into four meals that fed six people. I kid you not! I am blessed to have learned well, while hanging onto the corner of the stove.
I have been through some hard times of my own and because of the lessons I learned from Mama, I was able to feed my children with very little. One of the dishes Mama used to make was potato cakes. If you've never had the pleasure of eating potato cakes, you have missed out. I thought I would share the most basic recipe with you. This is how Mama made them. You can fancy them up with other ingredients but for me the best is basic.
Hillbilly Mama Potato Cakes
Ingredients
2 cups - more or less - leftover mashed potatoes
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup milk - preferably whole milk
1 lg. egg - beaten
1 small onion - finely chopped
leftover bacon grease or shortening
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Heat bacon grease or shortening, in an iron skillet. Stir together all ingredients except bacon grease. Make patties and fry in the bacon grease until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and serve hot!
*additional ingredients can be added to mixture. Try green onions, bacon crumbles, shredded cheese, ham or whatever sounds good to you! Try a dollop of sour cream on top, if you like. In my opinion, the only way to eat the potato cakes is with Louisiana Hot Sauce...only the original will do!
