WILD GARLIC POTATO CAKES
These potato cakes work with any soft herbs or leaves, but this is my favourite combination, especially with the salsa.
MAKES 8
600g potatoes, peeled and diced
50ml milk
25g butter
50g fresh wild garlic leaves, finely shredded
50g sauerkraut, finely shredded (optional)
100g good melting cheese, such as Ogleshield
50g plain flour
1 egg, beaten
75g fine breadcrumbs Olive oil, for frying
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SALSA:
300g tomatoes, cored and finely diced
A small bunch of tarragon, finely chopped
1tbsp sherry vinegar
(or tarragon vinegar if you have it)
Zest of ½ lemon
2tbsp olive oil
TO SERVE:
A few baby spinach or other salad leaves
A few basil microleaves 4 eggs, poached (optional)
1 Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Add salt, then bring to the boil. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, around 10 mins.
2 Drain thoroughly, then add the milk and butter. Mash, then stir in the garlic leaves and sauerkraut along with the cheese. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
3 Put the flour, egg and breadcrumbs on separate plates or in shallow bowls. Divide the potato mixture into 8 flattish cakes, around 100g each, then dip each one in the flour. Dust off any excess, dip in the egg and then coat thoroughly in the breadcrumbs. It’s a good idea to chill them at this stage while you make the salsa.
4 Next, make the salsa by mixing all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.
5 To cook the patties, pour a thin layer of olive oil into a frying pan and set over a medium-high heat. Fry the potato cakes for 3–4 mins on each side until crisp and brown. Do not crowd the pan – fry in two batches if necessary. Some cheese may escape the confines of the crust; if so, scoop it up as a chef’s perk, or allow it to spread and brown like a Parmesan crisp, rather than removing it.
6 Arrange the potato cakes over the leaves and sprinkle with the basil. Serve with the salsa and topped with a poached egg, if you like.