Potato & Kale Cakes

I've talked about potatoes here before (see recipe archive for New Potato and Baby Beetroot Tray Bake Salad with Labneh, it's delicious). Since potatoes are so dang prevalent, and a component of dinner in a number of households, it's certainly not the last time we'll touch on these root vegetables. With over 4000 varieties and a different taste, colour, and use for each there's plenty left to say.

Agria potatoes are a popular all-rounder here in New Zealand, known for their golden colouring and great mild, earthy taste. Growers like Agria for their large tubers and high yields. Cooks like them for their floury and fluffy texture, making them excellent candidates for mashing, baking, roasting or frying. 

Ever heard the term 'resistant starch'? Yeah, I know, it doesn't exactly make your mouth water. But it's an important term, and when we're talking potatoes there's an excellent opportunity not only to enjoy a delicious meal, but also make it even better for your body. So a quick rundown: 

As you likely already know, potatoes are a starch, along with rice, pasta, and grains. Normal starches are broken down into glucose and absorbed, which is why your blood glucose level (blood sugar) rises after eating them. 

Resistant starch is special; it’s a carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the large intestine. (Stick with me here, food will follow.) As the fiber ferments, it acts as a prebiotic and feeds the good gut bacteria. Happy gut bacteria create a balanced microbiome, improving your overall health in myriad ways. 

Cooking up a bunch of spuds, then cooling them for 12+ hours, greatly increases the amount of resistant starch. Which means leftover potatoes become healthy gut food, AND make delectable Potato & Kale Cakes. Told ya I’d get there.

500g leftover (or intentionally precooked) Potatoes

1 Onion, diced

1 bunch Kale (or Silverbeet, Spinach..), finely chopped 

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 C Cheese, dairy or vegan, grated 

2 Eggs, whisked

1/4 C Flour

2 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Peppercorn, freshly ground

Coconut Oil or Ghee, enough to generously oil your skillet

Rough mash chilled potatoes with salt, pepper and herbs in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Sauté diced onion in oil or ghee in a heavy bottomed skillet over low-medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped kale and garlic, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Use a spatula to empty the pan into the bowl of potatoes. Add cheese, egg and flour, then mix well to combine.

Wipe the pan clean of debris, return to medium heat and add oil or ghee. Using about 1/4 cup of potato mixture for each patty, shape into some semblance of a round. (You can do this ahead, and place pre-shaped cakes on a baking tray, ready to go.) Cook the cakes in the well greased skillet 3 or 4 at a time, for about 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. 

Place cooked cakes on a tray in a warmed oven to keep warm while cooking off the rest of the batch.

I used the hot cast iron to quickly pan sear a few cherry tomatoes to serve with the cakes. They'd be equally delicious with homemade aioli, pesto, chutney, or just as is.