Potato Cakes Recipe
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Recipe Overview
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Makes 6 large potato cakes
Ingredients Needed
- 750g/1.6lbs potatoes (I used baby low carb potatoes)
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 30g/1oz melted butter
- 150g/5ozs plain all purpose flour
- Salt and white pepper for seasoning
- Non stick oil spray
- 180g/6ozs grated cheese (I used a 50/50 mix of cheddar/tasty and mozzarella)
- 100g/3.5ozs bacon, grilled and finely diced
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1 - If your potatoes are large, cut them into halves or quarters. Place in a pot and cover with cold water and add the 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and cool completely.
Step 2 - Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer. Mix in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then mix in the flour to form a dough. The total dough should weigh around 830g/1.8lbs.
Step 3 - Oil a baking tray as well as a sheet of cling film and the back of an angled spatula and your hands. Divide the dough into 6 x 130g/4.6oz balls reserving a little dough to patch up any holes.
Step 4 - Place one ball of dough on the oiled cling film and spread out with the spatula until you get a 14x14cm/5.5inch square. Add 30g/1oz of grated cheese and a tablespoon of the chopped bacon. Fold over the top and then fold the sides in and then using the cling film roll it up into a little parcel. If there are any holes, patch them up with the extra dough. Place on the oiled tray and repeat with the other dough and filling.
Step 5 - Heat 1 inch of oil in a large cast iron or heavy based pot or a deep frying. When it reaches 180C/350F place two potato cakes to fry. Cook for 5 minutes on one side and then carefully turn it over and fry for another 5 minutes on the other side. Serve while still warm and the cheese is gooey. I like this with chilli crisp oil.
Personal Note
I love these potato cakes because they're so versatile. You can easily make these vegan or vegetarian or you can stuff these with leftover roasts or Bolognese sauce. I could make these for the vegetarian and vean in laws easily and I will be making a batch for our next get together. This past weekend we had a karaoke day together.
I can split the Elliotts and their love of karaoke down to who takes after which parent. Most of them love their karaoke as much their father Roger who loves to sing very loudly and be the centre of attention. His voice booms and drowns out everyone else. He isn't great to sing with because of that but I think he takes you putting down your mic as a sign that you are so overawed by his talent that he doesn't need any support!
On the other hand there is Tuulikki who is so afraid to sing that she has to be cajoled into it. Mr NQN is the only Elliott sibling to take after her in this matter. Mr NQN's siblings Manu and Amaya put together a playlist of songs and one of them was Staying Alive by the Bee Gees as they thought that this was more her musical age. Tuulikki gripped the microphone tightly and looked at us wide eyed. She didn't look like she was singing or even moving her lips but then Mr NQN moved the microphone closer to her mouth and we finally heard her sing!
The only thing was that her singing didn't quite match the music or the lyrics. She just sung "Staaaaaayinnnnng aliiiiiiive" like an opera while the beat was much faster. It was like a ghost haunting you by drawing out the words in a spooky voice. But we were just happy that she was having fun and gave it a go!
So tell me Dear Reader, are you for or against singing at karaoke? What would you fill potato pancakes with?