This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Simply Potatoes. All opinions are 100% mine.
The dinner table. The battlefield where wars are fought between parents and children over eating their vegetables. As a child I was a very picky eater. Looking back, I see that that I was mainly because I flat out refused to try any new foods. If I had the courage to try new foods, I believe I may have liked many of them. To prevent this same narrow-minded mentality in my own children I started the one bite rule in our house. The rule is simple. You try one bite. If you like it, FAB keep eating. If don’t like it, I will make you something else. Nine times out of ten, my daughter will like the new food. The success inspires her to continue to try more new foods like these tasty Broccoli and Parmesan Potato Pancakes without my incessant prodding.
I know the flavor profiles of what my children already like, so for me to build on that knowledge allows me to introduce foods with a higher likability percentage. Do I jump right in and serve them a plateful of steamed Brussels sprouts? No. I ease them into a new veggie by serving delightfully roasted sprouts drizzled with my favorite sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar. Then I sit back and watch their eyes widen in surprise as they savor that one bite, and of course immediately ask for more.
Playing by those same rules, I try and bump up the nutritional value of mealtime by adding more vegetables where possible. Even if I have to hide them in plain sight like the Broccoli and Parmesan Potato Pancakes. I know Baby is a big fan of steamed broccoli simply topped with a touch of butter, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese sprinkled. I decided to take it a step further and mix the broccoli show knows and loves with Simply Potatoes to make potato pancakes.
Simply Potatoes, made by the Crystal Farms Company, are fresh potatoes (never frozen) and found in the refrigerated dairy section of your local grocer. I appreciate having them on hand for a last minute addition to get dinner on the table in minutes. Simply Potatoes are made with real ingredients so I can be confident adding them to the family meal, without all the hassle of peeling or shredding potatoes from the pantry.
By throwing together a few ingredients an exciting new side was created that my family enjoyed. As an added bonus to mixing broccoli to the Simply Potatoes, I can easily add a second vegetable to the meal like these fresh, Balsamic Honey Glazed Carrots. My family won’t even realize I doubled their vegetable intake for the meal. Such sorcery wrapped up in deliciousness!
I’ll be checking the Simply Potatoes Favorites site and Simply Potatoes on Pinterest for more amazing recipes to share with my family.
What’s your favorite way to increase your family’s vegetable intake?
Broccoli and Parmesan Potato Pancakes
Author: KP
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 12 oz Simply Potatoes Mashed Potatoes
- 1 Cup steamed broccoli florets, chopped small
- ¼ Cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- Additional Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- In a large bowl add mashed potatoes, broccoli, salt, and Parmesan cheese. Stir to thoroughly combine ingredients.
- Heat large skillet over medium heat, add butter and melt.
- Scoop about ¼ Cup of the potato mixture into your hands and shape into a pancake.
- Place pancake into skillet and fry about 3-4 minutes (or until brown and crisp).
- Flip pancake to fry second side about an additional 3-4 minutes.
- The pancakes will be heavy, so smaller is definitely better than larger. Mine were large and a little difficult to flip without cracking the delicate Parmesan crust.
- Repeat the process forming and cooking pancakes until all of the potato mixture is gone.
- Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
