German recipe (made with leftover mashed potatoes)

by Rose Marie Seifried
(St. Charles, IL, USA)

Hi. My name is Rose Marie. When I was a little girl, my grandmother, (who was born somewhere in Bavaria and immigrated to the US in 1894), used to make a side dish or a warm snack using leftover mashed potatoes that she fried in a skillet. She would break the mashed potatoes into small pieces in the frying pan and they would turn out to be irregular-shaped and light golden brown. She would put them on a plate for my cousin and me and we would eat them, picking up a spoonful at a time and sipping cold milk from a glass. My cousin and I are old ladies now, but we would love to taste those little things made from mashed potatoes fried in a skillet! They were delicious spoonfuls, alternated with sips of cold milk. The problem is, we do not know what she added to the mashed potatoes in the frying pan. Neither my cousin or I speak German, but we both remember our grandmother calling them something that, in American, sounded like "stair-its" or stare-ets." Please, can anyone help? Thank you so much, if you can.

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Feb 01, 2024
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Fried potato dish with cold milk
by: Brenda grotjahn

My grandmother called it "ribble". She took peeled boiled potatoes and sprinkled flour over them while she used a pastry blender to cut and mix until it looked like dry biscuit mix but some big pieces . She fried it in a cast iron skillet in crisco or margarine turning until golden brown . We put it in a bowl and poured cold milk in it . So incredibly delicious. And it filled you up all day . I wonder if it's similar to what you described.
Sep 24, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Grerman potato treats
by: MikeAnonymous

My G/ Mother used to call it livska(spelling) I can say it, not spell it. Leftover mashed potaotes fried, then spread butter and add suger, roll them up and eat. So, good you can not eat just one.
Nov 27, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		German fried mashed potatoes
by: Jamie Chromy Miner

My husbands German grandmother made them. Her recipe:
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teas salt

Mix by hand. Roll into small pinky finger sized rolls.

Boil 2 minutes then fry in bacon grease.


We enjoy these but they are a lot of work.

We called them Binnnsla, but we don’t know the correct spelling.
Oct 12, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Re left over cigar shaped mashed potatoes
by: Anonymous

I am looking for recipie for these little morsels. I remember leftover mashed potatoes and egg? Fried lightly in butter. Called quesals??????? Spelling only how I remember it being said. German with Rissian influence is the heritage I believe.
Nov 27, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		re leftover mashed potato old German recipe
by: Anonymous

My mother, whose family was from Bavaria, used to mix leftover mashed potatoes with flour and egg and ?? Definitely not onion because she'd make them into cigar shapes and fry in butter till golden. She then rolled them in sugar.
The only name I remember for them sounded something like
"shnorgiggles".
Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Nov 27, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Stairits
by: Anonymous

My Morher in law taught me how to make Stairit. I bake mine in the over My boys love them. I serve them with gravy.
Sep 08, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		stair-its
by: Anonymous

I have been seeking the spelling for these potatoes for years! My grandmother made them with riced potatoes, salt, and flour, and you crumbled them into a well buttered pan, dotted them with more butter, baked them in a 425 degree oven, stirring often, until golden brown. Now i see you spell it "stair-its" thank you!
Feb 16, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Leftover mashed potatoes: Thanks Maria
by: Anonymous

Hi, Maria. Thank you for your Jan. 12 comment about leftover mashed potatoes. I know my grandmother did make her "stair-its" in a skillet. Using egg and flour sounds like something she would have used. I will try your suggestion, including adding the onion. Dropping the mashed potato mix into a skillet with a spoon also seems very vaguely familiar to me. Thanks again so much. Rose
Jan 14, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		German recipe for leftover mashed potatoes
by: Anonymous

Hi Maria. Just now found your response to my question about a german recipe made with leftover mashed potatoes. Thank you! I will try your suggestion and see if it comes out tasting anything like my grandmother's "stair-its."
Rose Marie
Jan 12, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		leftover mashed potatoes
by: Maria Gotz Howard

My mother who came from Worms Germany would make potatoe pan cakes from left over mashed potatoes,I don't know if this is what you was looking for.She would make spoonfull and drop into hot grease in a skillet and fry them she would snack on them or use for an other meal.She put mashed potatoes in a bowl and depending on amout of leftover she would add tablespoon of flour and an egg,she also put onion in her potatoe pancakes.

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Zachary - USA
Tremendous website. I lived in Germany for almost 14 years. Your recipes have me excited about getting back into German cooking. Thanks so much!