I was a bit confused as to what these should be called. They are basically leftover mashed potato and kale mixed with gruyere, then shaped into patties and then fried. I started off thinking “hash cakes”, but then remembered that hash could be construed as something else very different. Colcannon is basically kale (or cabbage) and mash mixed up, so that’s what I went with. We often have leftover mash in the fridge, normally after a weekend, post fish pie or roast dinner, and this is a great way to use it up. Even if there were no greenery in the shape of kale or cabbage, this would still be good. Replace gruyere with cheddar by all means if you have only the latter in.
If you are making this fresh, and not from leftover mash or kale, then make sure you squeeze out all the water from the cooked kale, or they will be very wet. Don’t worry about weighing things here; the proportion should be 2 parts mash to 1 part cabbage, or thereabouts. Grate as much cheese in as you see fit. The below weights are only there as that’s what we happened to have. These are very delicate little cakes; they need careful handling. By all means add a level tablespoon of flour to make them more sturdy, but I didn’t. Next time I might, but be careful to cook them for ling enough or you may end up with a raw flour taste.
Serves: 2 adults for lunch / starter
Prep time: 25 minutes (including chilling, if using leftovers)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
300g of mashed potato
100g cooked kale or cabbage
50g gruyere cheese, grated
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying
Instructions:
- Mix your mash and kale in a bowl with the grated cheese. Season but be mindful that, if they are leftovers, they will already have been seasoned most likely. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or so. Overnight is even better if you want to get ahead.
- Heat some oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat. Let it get quite hot before you place your patties in. Let them fry for as long as possible without moving them. They need to get a crust to prevent them sticking. Flip them after about 10 minutes and cook on the other side. Adjust your heat accordingly to see that they don’t burn.
- Let the sides of the patties touch the side of the pan so they cook too. As you can see mine are mainly crusted on the top and bottom though, as yours will be.
- Test with a skewer (put it in the middle of one for 5 seconds then hold it against your lip – if it’s hot then they’re cooked through, if cold fry for a little longer).
- Serve with a fried egg on top!
