There’s something about the simple yet sublime that gets me everytime – like these potato cakes, based on a recipe from a time-wearied dish towel.
Simple? Yes! But this inexpensive, versatile little potato cake is capable of seemingly endless transformations of everything from leftover scraps to a gourmet home-cooked meal. For instance: need to use up some leftover corned beef?
How about a dollop of mustard on a little cake, some shaved leftover corned beef on that……..is there such a thing as a peasant “amuse bouche”?
As so-called peasant food (great food that people without a lot of money or resources across the globe create) is one of my very, very favorite ways to cook, I swoon at the opportunity to use the cakes to create everything from hearty appetizers to a main dish accompaniment. Like serving them under a rare treat - Bone in Rib Eye Steak slices. There’s something so wonderful about the way they soak up stray juices from the beef – and become a side I could happily have as a meal……well, maybe I’d keep the peas too!
I vary my little linen tea-towel (does anyone call them that anymore???) recipe at will. After all, I’ve had the towel for fifteen years and expect to have it for fifteen more years – at least. That would be way too long to stay with the basics! So feel free to use any type of leftover mashed potato you have – or even make mashed potatoes with those leftover from a New England Boiled Dinner. These pictured here were from leftover garlic mashed potatoes. As the recipe says, turn them onto a floured board…….
Incorporate enough flour – gradually, by sprinkling it on a bit at a time – to form a soft dough ball….
Roll this out to 1/4 inch, or a thickeness you prefer………
Cut out the size and shape you like……thinner will be crispier.
I like the little ones – cut with a shot glass – for appetizers…
Move with a spatula into a frying pan (heavy – preferably cast iron ) with equal parts butter and oil. Just a thin layer for non-stick. And that’s it….cook for several minutes on medium for each side….and proceed to take these on your own route from the simple to the sublime.
I was making some of these up for an appetizer dish while serving Rob some chicken rice soup . OOHHH he said, can I have some for the soup. LOL – of course! And he tore some up – plunked them in the soup – and pronounced it delicious!
Timeless Gourmet
I’ve never seen a recipe for potato cakes that involved rolling out the dough–how inspired!
mmmm, I have been wanting to make potato pancakes for the last month. I am definitely going to try this recipe!
Peasant food rocks! These potato cakes look really good. I have all the ingredients and I’m going to make these for supper tonight. Thanks!
Enjoy Leela – rock on!
Leela@SheSimmers
Just checking back to let you know these potato cakes were awesome! I’ll definitely be making them again. Thanks.
It’s been over 50 years, but I seem to remember my mother making these with potato flour and baking them in the oven on a cookie sheet sprinkled with potato flour. She served them occasionally to us kids for lunch on cold Saturdays. We topped them with salted butter and devoured them!
I incorporate some minced onion in my mashed potatoes and add a little flour and milk before making into patties to fry. Also, add an egg or two to hold the mixture together if needed…depending on how much left-over mashed potatoes you have. I love “mashed potato patties”, as we used to call them.
Sounds great!