Instructions: Description: Take leftover pot beans, strain, dry, coarsely mash, and form into pattie. Brown the pattie until crunchy. See Pats Variation with cheese and cornmeal.

PANTRY: See the recipe for "Pot Beans from the Mexican Table" and prepare beans of your choice. One jalapeno may be substituted for the serrano. Use a light vegetable oil but add a little peanut oil to flavor.

Coarsely mash the beans. Remove half and set aside. Puree the remaining half. Combine beans, onion, chilies, cumin and salt. Form into patties, about 1/4 cup each.

Heat half the oil in a large heavy skillet. Put as many patties in the skillet as will fit in a single uncrowded layer and fry over fairly high heat until golden and toasty, and a little crispy (about 1 to 1-1/2 minute per side). Transfer to a platter. Continue until all the patties are fried adding more oil to the skillet as necessary.

Serve hot, topped with a little salsa (the smaller diced salsa works better than the chunky). Top with a teaspoon (touch) of sour cream.

PATS VARIATION: Put patties on non-stick cookie sheet and bake, in a preheated oven, at 425F for about 10 to 12 minutes, until heated through and starting to crisp. Arrange on a platter. Mix a little sweet corn meal

(from a mix like Jiffy or Marie Callendar) with finely shredded jack, cheddar or colby cheese. Let that melt then dab with a little drained salsa and sour cream. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.