Veggie Potato Cakes with Grilled Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS
1kg potatoes
1 red pepper, finely diced
4 spring onions, finely sliced
150g tinned sweetcorn, drained
120g flour plus some extra for coating the cakes
1 egg, lightly whisked
4 tomatoes
Oil
METHOD
Peeled the potatoes and dice. Put potatoes in a sauce pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook until just soft. Drain and return to the saucepan in low heat for a couple of minutes to make sure that they are dry. Mash them and allow to cool down
Add the diced pepper, sliced spring onions, sweetcorn, and flour and mix well
Add the egg, seasoning, and mix again until well combined.
Divide cake mix into 12 balls. Put a couple of tablespoons of flour on a plate and roll each ball in it until lightly coated, then gently flatten into 1cm patties.
To cook the tomatoes: use a small sharp knife to cut out the eye of the tomato (where the stalk meets the fruit). Slice the tomatoes in half, brush with oil and season. To cook them you can either put them in the oven for 10 min, place them under the grill for 3-4 min or cook them in a frying pan cut side down until they start looking tender.
Meanwhile, cook the potato cakes. Add 2 tbsps of oil to a large frying pan, when fry the potato cakes on one side for 4-5 min until golden brown. Then flip and cook on the other side.
Serve the potato cakes with the grilled tomatoes.
SUGGESTIONS
Ideal recipe to use mashed potato left over. Just start at step 2. If your mash is too wet just add a bit of extra flour.
Use whatever veg you have available, seriously the sky is the limit with this one: grate some carrot or courgette, use leftover cabbage (you could make bubble and squeak style cakes), tinned peas, etc.
If you fancy something different, use sweet potatoes instead.
Add left over ham or bacon to the potato mix for a bit of extra flavour and protein. Just chop in small pieces and add to step 2. Alternatively, you could add some tinned tuna too.
Fancy the extra protein but want to keep them vegetarian, add your favourite grated cheese to the mix.
They make a lovely brunch served with some eggs (fried or poached would be best).
Give them a twist with some extra flavour by adding garlic powder, herbs or any spices that you have available and your family loves (curry, Cajun, chilli, etc)
Grilled tomatoes are a quick handy veg to you can prep quickly and work well with most meats. I would suggest a sprinkle of dry herbs before grilling them to make them extra delicious.