In our fridge, there was nearly a cup each of leftover mashed potato and mixed veg: broccoli, carrots and peas. I was looking at it, thinking I could reheat it in the microwave and dollop it onto my kids’ plates. Boring.

I mashed up the aforementioned vegetables. Then I added an egg. More interesting cooks out there might’ve added fancy things like sage and rosemary. I kept mine plain.

After mixing in the egg I rolled the mixture into balls, slightly larger than a golf ball. I tried to keep them fairly tight and secure. Then I covered them with breadcrumbs, pressing them in a bit.

Perhaps some people would dip them in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. I was thinking about limiting the kilojoules – pretty unnecessary, for kids…

The trick was to make sure my frying pan was hot. I only used a few teaspoons of oil, and I shallow fried them, turning them once, when they were browned, fizzing at the base, and crispy looking.

Mixing the mixture:

The patties, before cooking:

The patties, after cooking:

OK, well, I know what you’re thinking. I’m such an adventurous cook, right? But I thought I’d share one of my easy, kid-friendly and healthy recipes with you.