Potato Scallops Cakes

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott adapted from Penny's Hotel

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 6 minutes per batch

Serves: 2-4 people

2 large Desiree or Dutch Cream potatoes (around 500g/1.1lbs)
1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs soda water
1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs VB beer (or any beer you like, I've tried it with non alcoholic beer too!)
125g/4ozs self raising flour
50g/1.7ozs corn flour
5g/0.2oz salt
30g/1oz plain all purpose flour
Vinegar salt for serving

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Potatoes. We all know them. We all love them.

Step 1 - Wash the Desiree potatoes and finely slice them 5mm/0.2inch thick leaving the skins on. Whisk the self-raising flour, corn flour and salt in a large bowl. Then slowly with a whisk, mix in the beer and soda water until combined and without any lumps.

Step 2 - Heat enough oil to submerge the potatoes in until it reaches 180C/350F. Place the plain flour in a bowl and lightly flour the potato slices in the plain flour, then dip them into the beer batter mix in the bowl. Completely coat with batter and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle generously with vinegar salt or sea salt and serve straight away.

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Dredging the potato in flour before the batter

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Dipping the potato slice in the batter

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Personal Note

We love potatoes but I recently discovered someone that loves potatoes even more. It was my mother in law Tuulikki's birthday picnic and everyone arrived and took out their food. There were tubs of hummus, an enormous fruit salad and a big platter of fruit which was her birthday present (every member of the Elliott family except for me asks for a fruit platter for their birthday).

Mr NQN asked her about what age she was turning. She mysteriously answered that she was born in the 17th century and then reborn many times after that. Classic Tuulikki.

I never seem to use up my potatoes quickly enough in my vege box so I brought along a bag of potatoes. Tuulikki doesn't like the usual food presents. If you give her a box of chocolates or a cake she will look positively terrified. But I finally found the gift that she loves best...POTATOES!

I handed her a paper bag of potatoes and she peered inside. Her eyes lit up excitedly and she said "I love potatoes!!". It was like I handed her a cute puppy as a gift! Finally, I've found the food gift that she wants to receive.

So tell me Dear Reader, do you ask restaurants for recipes? And what food gift would you like to receive?

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