Herby Potato Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Trim the top and bottom of each potato so that they lie flat on both sides. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or flameproof casserole and fry the potatoes on both sides until dark golden, 10-15 mins.
• Poke in the garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and zest, then pour in enough stock to go halfway up the side of the potatoes. Simmer for 20-30 mins, then turn the potatoes and cook the other side for a further 20-30 mins, topping up with more stock if it evaporates. Continue cooking until the potatoes are really tender and most of the stock has gone. Season well and serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Heat a large heavy-based ovenproof, flameproof pan and add the oil. Drop the potatoes in the oil and cook for 5 mins, so they are coloured. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon, draining the excess oil. Wipe the oil from the pan with kitchen paper, then return the potatoes to the pan. Put in the oven, and cook for a further 15 mins. Sprinkle over the mint and serve.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Add the oil to a large flameproof baking tray and put in the oven to heat up.
• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, tip in the potatoes and their peel (for extra flavour), and simmer for 8-10 mins. Drain the potatoes and discard the peel. Leave to steam-dry for 15 mins, then return the potatoes to the pan, put the lid on and gently shake to lightly rough up the edges.
• Remove the tray from the oven and put directly on the hob over a medium heat. Add the butter to the hot oil and, using tongs, add the potatoes to the tray, one by one, turning them in the fat, leaving a little space between each. Reduce the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Nestle the herbs around the potatoes, along with the garlic. Sprinkle over 1 tbsp sea salt and return to the oven for 1 hr, turning every once in a while, until golden and crisp.

Steps:

• Cook the new potatoes (with their skins on) in boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes depending on their size. They should be quite soft for this recipe.
• Meanwhile warm the oil and herbs in a small pan - this helps release all the flavours. Drain the potatoes, tip them into a bowl and 'squash' each potato with a fork - it should break up but not fall apart. Be gentle here, as you don't want the potatoes completely collapsing. Pour over the herb oil, gently stir, tip into a serving dish, then sprinkle over a good pinch of Maldon sea salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Steps:

• To make the potato stacks - preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• First slice the potatoes (no need to peel them) about two mm thick, either by hand, if you can trust your hand and knife co-ordination, or on a mandolin slicer. Dump the potatoes into a large bowl, without washing, and add the olive oil and herbs.
• Toss well with your hands, making sure the potatoes are evenly coated. Season with a little salt and pepper and toss again to mix.
• Brush a heavy baking sheet with a little olive oil and start to build eight stacks of the potato slices. Try to make them look random, and incorporate as many of the herbs as you can. Sprinkle any remaining herbs and olive oil left in the bowl around and over the potato stacks.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown at the edges and tender all the way through. You can test this by inserting a thin skewer through the middle of a stack - it should slip through easily. Serve immediately or turn the oven low and keep warm for up to 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Mix mashed potatoes, flour, onion, egg, black pepper, and salt together in a bowl until batter consistency.
• Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Drop 4-inch circles of batter into hot oil. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter.

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes (if peeling; see notes below) and wash the potatoes and the carrot; finely grate the potatoes and carrot, place between paper kitchen towels and squeeze firmly to remove excess moisture.
• Peel, crush and then finely chop the garlic; wash, dry and then finely chop the parsley.
• Mix together, so that they are well-combined, the grated potatoes and carrot, the thyme, two-thirds of the parsley, the garlic, and the salt and pepper.
• Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and between your palms, shape and flatten each one into a round cake.
• Heat the oil in a large (preferably non-stick) pan over a high heat, and cook the cakes (you'll probably need to cook the cakes in 2 batches), for 5 minutes on one side, then turn and cook for 5 minutes on the other side; cook until both sides are golden brown. Reduce the heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes in total, turning once.
• Place the first batch of cakes on paper kitchen towelling and place a sheet on top as well, to remove excess fat; and place them on the bottom shelf in a very low oven to keep warm. Cook the second batch. Because the pan is warm, the second batch will probably cook slightly more quickly, so be careful not to burn them.
• When the cakes are golden and cooked through, pat off any excess fat with paper towels, sprinkle them with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.
• Chef's Notes: Wash the potatoes after peeling, but NOT after grating. If you do so the starch will wash away and the potato cakes won't bind together. Better still, to save time and for greater nutritional benefits, select a variety of potato that does not need to be peeled. If you use a non-stick pan you will probably use less oil than the 3 tablespoons specified; if you do NOT use a non-stick pan, you will probably use more like 4 tablespoons of oil.
• Variation: Use one zucchini instead of the carrot.