Irish potato cakes with wilted greens

Irish potato cakes with wilted greens
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
10 to 30 mins
Serve
Serves 2

A great way to use up leftover mashed potato, serve this traditional Irish recipe with spiced beef and soft-boiled eggs.

By Anna Haugh

From Anna Haugh’s Big Irish Food Tour

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Ingredients

For the Irish potato cakes

For the wilted greens

  • 30g/1oz unsalted butter
  • 6 wild garlic stalks and leaves, stalks finely chopped, and leaves torn into large pieces
  • 6 rainbow chard stems, stalks finely chopped, and leaves torn
  • 8 nettle leaves, cut with scissors (do not handle)
  • 1 medium gherkin or pickle, thinly sliced lengthways and then across widthways
  • 2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste

To serve

How-to videos

Method

  1. To make the Irish potato cakes, preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

  2. Place the cornflour, baking powder, garlic powder and mashed potatoes into a large glass bowl and mix to combine, using a wooden or metal spoon. Gradually add the egg until a dough is formed. You need to add the egg gradually, as you might not need to use it all.

  3. Knead the dough in the bowl a little to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated, and the mix is smooth. Divide the mix into two and shape each one like a large fish cake and set aside.

  4. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the oil. Once hot, place the potato cakes into the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. Transfer to a baking tray and cook in the oven for 3–4 minutes.

  5. To make the wilted greens, heat a medium sauté pan over a medium heat and add the butter. Once hot and melted add the chopped wild garlic and rainbow chard stems and fry for 2 minutes. Add the chard leaves, nettle leaves and wild garlic leaves, and stir until they have wilted. This will take 2 minutes.

  6. Add the pickle and cook for a further 1–2 minutes over a medium heat. Add the hot sauce and stir into the wilted greens to finish.

  7. To serve, place a large saucepan of water over a high heat and bring to the boil, then add the eggs and boil according to their size – 5½ minutes for small, 6 minutes for medium, 6½ minutes for large.

  8. Once the time is up, remove the eggs from the boiling water and dip them into a bowl of cold water, then remove from the water, crack their shell on the work surface, dip again and peel. Cut each egg in half.

  9. Place the potato cakes onto a serving plate and top with the wilted greens. Place the sliced spiced beef on top of the greens and garnish with the halved soft-boiled eggs and finish with the garlic flowers.