During the working week I try my best to go to the gym and eat sensibly. This isn’t necessarily because I am a health fanatic, it is simply because from around the age of 28, it occurred to me that the old metabolism was grinding down a few gears and I was no longer able to scoff all the nice stodge and chocolate I liked to without becoming a massive fat knacker. And so the gym regime and healthy diet was introduced. However, this was just for five days of the week. The weekend however, is there for me to eat and drink all the things I used to like. It’s a trade-off innit?
Every Sunday whilst I have been in Texas, my breakfast treat has been pancakes and bacon, but today I thought I’d do these potato cakes from English Food. I’ve always associated potato cakes with Irish food – potato farls being an essential part of the Ulster Fry. However it seems that they are/were popular throughout Britain and Ireland.
To make the cakes, mash a pound of boiled potatoes, then mix in an ounce of melted butter, 4 ounces of plain flour, ½ teaspoon salt, a teaspoon of baking powder and – if you like – an egg. Bring all the ingredients together to form a dough that isn’t too sticky to handle and roll it out. Griggers gives us options as to how to cook and eat them: 1) Roll out thinly and cut out saucer-sized circles and cook on a griddle greased with lard, suet or bacon fat. Roll the cooked cakes around little sticks of salty butter. 2) Roll out the dough into ½” thickness and cut out circles with a scone cutter- griddle along with the bacon, sausage and eggs for 15 minutes. 3) Go Welsh: Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and another of white sugar to the mixture. I went for the second option.
#260 Potato Cakes. These were great; and very easy to make too. They had a light texture due to the baking powder as well as a nice soft inside without being stodgy. They went perfectly with the sausages and sweet maple-smoked bacon I ate with them. I shall be making these again. 7/10
6 comments:
Mmmm...good old fashioned comfort food. Thanks for the reminder.
Any time!
Hmm, very interesting. Sounds delicious. The dough is very similar to that used for potato gnocchi, something that is delicious, but not necessarily worth the effort. Keeping these in larger sizes sounds like a good idea. I never met a potato I didn't like, so I'll have to give it a try.
The day will come when you won't even be able to skip the weekends for a healthy regimen, maybe 20 years down the road, though.
Hey Joan
I have half of the dough in the freezer if you want it to try! I don't know if it freezes well, though I assued it will as normal doughs do...
We're going to make this recipe. I like potato cakes and it sounds dead easy, a great idea for left over mash (there is always left over mash in our house cos you might as well do a bit more and it's so good fried up with bacon bits and cabbage, or currently seasonal sprout leaves). A potato cake breakfast is just the ticket when it's minus five and snow white outside.
"I never met a potato I didn't like", nice sentiment goodbyehouston though I have often found the parsnip to be more personable.
Simon
Let me know how you get on, Si!
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