Thursday 18 April 2013

Leek potato cakes with smoked mackerel and horseradish mayonnaise

This post came about because I was fed up with  trying to make potato cakes only have them disintegrate in the frying pan. Much googling about how to avoid this mush resulted in nothing useful and a vague idea that adding egg might work. (It probably does but I think it would alter the whole nature of the cake.) Last night I was about to reach for the usual slosh of milk to aid with the mashing of the potato when it occurred to me that the milk might be the problem. Perhaps the milk is breaking down the potato too far producing lovely smooth mash but sloppy potato cakes. So went without any liquid and I can honestly say that this was the first time ever that my potato cakes looked like summat off the telly.

So! Here we go. Leek potato cakes with smoked mackerel and horseradish mayonnaise



Ingredients
Potatoes - I reckon on using one good-sized one per person.
Leeks - Again it depends on the size of the leek but one per person is about right
Butter
Seasoning
Smoked Mackerel
Mayonnaise
Horseradish - I used creamed from a jar!

Method

1. Peel and boil the potatoes until they are soft but not falling to bits then mash them as smooth as you can with a knob of butter and salt and pepper.
2. Chop the leeks and gently fry them with a splash of water and a little butter. When they are soft and the water has evaporated this is the point to remove them and add to the mash. Mix thoroughly.
3. Make two potato cakes per person and fry in a hot frying pan with a little olive oil till both sides are brown and crunchy.

Top Tip: It is a LOT easier to make the potato cake after the mix has cooled. Yes this is partly because it isn't hot (!) but they seem to hold together better when cool.

4. While the cakes are sizzling nicely put a dollop per person of mayonnaise in a bowl and stir in as much horseradish as you dare. (This really is a personal taste thing. I go for a teaspoon for two people but I am a wuss when it comes to hot things.) Add some seasoning and mix it all in well.
5. Put the browned cakes on to plates and add the fish to the hot pan to give them a little crunch. (You can serve them cold.)
6. Add the fish to the plates with a dollop of the horseradish mayonnaise.

Simple and yummy.

My only addition for the future would be a bit of watercress to make the plate look a bit less brown and add a fresh green tang to the dish.


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