Potato Puff — The Friday Fish Fry Side That Belongs on Every Lenten Table

March. Danny's death anniversary is Friday — March 8th. Six years. I don't dread it the way I used to. The first year, it was unbearable — a black hole that sucked everything in. The second year was heavy. The third, fourth, fifth — each one a little lighter, not because I miss him less but because I've learned how to carry it. Grief doesn't get smaller. You get bigger. I went to Holy Cross Cemetery on Friday after work. The snow was melting — March thaw, temperatures in the high thirties, the gray slush of a Milwaukee winter losing its grip. Danny's headstone was clear. I sat down and talked to him the way I always do — like he's there, like he can hear me, like we're twenty-two and hanging out instead of me being twenty-two and him being forever sixteen. I told him about the smoker. Danny would have been all over the smoker. He would have been the guy standing on the balcony at 6 AM checking the temperature, drinking a beer at noon "for quality control," eating pulled pork with his bare hands. I told him about the p─àczki, about the short rib pierogi, about the cream ale with lavender that I'm developing. I told him about the someday folder — the growing idea that maybe, someday, I could do something with the pierogi. "What do you think, Danny?" I said. "Pierogi shop? You'd come every day. You'd eat everything on the menu and never pay." I laughed. The cemetery was quiet. The sound of my own laughter in an empty cemetery was strange and also right. At the brewery, the cream ale test batch went well. The lavender is there but restrained — floral, not perfumey. The lemon zest gives it brightness. It's light and clean and perfect for spring. Marcus tasted it and said, "Okay, the lavender works. I'll admit it." Progress. At home, Lenten Friday fish: pan-fried perch with tartar sauce, fried potatoes, coleslaw. The Wisconsin Friday fish fry, done at home. Perch from the fish market, dredged in seasoned flour, fried in butter until golden. Babcia's coleslaw. Homemade tartar sauce — mayo, pickles, capers, lemon, dill. Simple, perfect, exactly what a Friday in Lent should taste like in Milwaukee. Six years without Danny. A lifetime of missing him. A plate of perch that he never got to eat.

The perch and the tartar sauce get the glory on a Friday fish fry plate, but it’s always the potatoes that make me feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. This year, sitting with the weight of March 8th still settling, I wanted something humble and golden alongside the fish — something that felt like the meal was complete, like every part of the table was accounted for. Potato Puff is what I made: crispy, simple, honest, the kind of side dish that doesn’t ask for attention but quietly holds the whole plate together.

Potato Puff

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups mashed potatoes (prepared, cooled slightly)
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or green onion
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray or butter for greasing the muffin tin

Instructions

1. Heat oven. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin generously with cooking spray or butter and set aside.
2. Mix the base. In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, egg yolks, sour cream, melted butter, cheese, chives, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth and well combined.
3. Whip the whites. In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer or whisk until stiff peaks form — this is what gives the puffs their lift and airy interior.
4. Fold together. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the potato mixture in two additions, keeping as much air in the batter as possible. Do not overmix.
5. Fill the tin. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Smooth the tops lightly with the back of a spoon.
6. Bake. Bake for 22–25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the puffs have risen slightly and pulled away from the edges of the tin.
7. Rest and serve. Let the puffs rest in the tin for 3–4 minutes before running a thin knife around each cup and lifting them out. Serve immediately alongside pan-fried fish, with coleslaw and tartar sauce on the plate.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg