What does tonight’s dinner have in common with last night’s dinner?!? Just about everything. The beef, the rolls, the mashed potatoes… We had them all last night, albeit in a slightly different format.

I had cooked up a few extra potatoes that were beginning to show their age with the idea of making potato pancakes tonight. Mashed potato pancakes are really a treat from my youth. My mother made them now and again and I always liked them. Slightly crispy on the outside and light and creamy on the inside, they turn leftover mashed potatoes into a great side dish.

The basic is pretty easy – cold mashed potatoes, a bit of flour, an egg, salt, pepper, and some garlic powder. A little finely-minced onion can be added, if desired. Drop scoops onto a hot buttered pan, let cook, flip, cook some more – and eat.

And then we had roast beef sandwiches with horseradish sauce. With lettuce and tomato.

Horseradish sauce is another quick and easy – and really flavorful – accompaniment to roast beef. And another easy-to-make sauce from ingredients probably already in the house. It starts off with a bit of mayonnaise, a bit of sour cream, and a hefty amount of horseradish – the exact amount will vary depending upon how spicy you want your sauce. Next comes a bit of worcestershire sauce, a few shots of Tabasco, and salt and pepper. It’s good enough for holiday prime rib and easy enough for deli roast beef.

Same main ingredients, totally different outcome. Mom would be proud.