Potato Cakes Michael Smith Recipes

OLD FASHIONED POTATO CAKES

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.

POTATO CAKES (MICHAEL SMITH)

Steps:

• Steam potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork.
• Fry bacon until crispy, strain off fat and set aside.
• Smash steamed potatoes and add the bacon, onions, cheese, egg and season with salt and pepper.
• Let cool.
• Form potato mixture into four patties.
• Put reserved bacon fat into a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add a touch more cooking oil if necessary.
• Fry potato cakes until golden and heated through.

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN WITH POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• For the chicken: Place a heavy-bottomed pan in the oven (I prefer cast iron) and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken with the lemon halves and season liberally with salt and pepper. Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil.
• Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven, arrange the chicken in it breast-side up and place the pan on the middle rack. Roast until the thickest part of the chicken measures 160 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving.
• For the potato cakes: While the chicken is cooking, thoroughly mix together the sweet potatoes, eggs, onion, Old Bay and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 6 patties.
• While the chicken is resting, place the pan it was cooked in over medium-high heat with the rendered chicken fat. Working in batches and adding more oil if necessary, cook the patties, flattening them slightly with a spatula, until golden brown and crisp, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
• Serve the sweet potato cakes with the chicken and some lemon wedges on the side.

POTATO ZUCCHINI PANCAKES WITH YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Set up your grill for even medium-high heat by building coals evenly on the bottom of the grill.
• Place the shredded zucchinis and potatoes into a tea towel and wring as much moisture out as you can. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, flour, scallions, dill and lemon zest and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the zucchinis and potatoes and mix to combine. Using a 1/3 cup measure, scoop the mixture into balls on a cookie tray.
• Place a large cast-iron pan on the grill and add a good splash of oil (it should be 1- to 1 1/2-inches deep in the pan). Set a cooling rack in a sheet tray and set aside.
• Bring the oil to 350 degrees F, then add 3 balls to the pan and flatten into pancakes. Brown and crisp on one side, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and brown and crisp on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to the cooling rack set and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining potato pancakes, adding more olive oil to the pan as needed.
• For the yogurt sauce: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, chives, olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the potato zucchini pancakes with a dollop of yogurt sauce.

BROWN BUTTER MASHED POTATOES (MICHAEL SMITH)

Steps:

• Cut the potatoes into large chunks then steam, boil or microwave them until they're tender. Drain well.
• Meanwhile, toss the butter into a small saucepot and heat it until it melts over medium heat. Because butter contains as much as twenty percent water it will then begin to steam and foam. Once the water has evaporated the foam will subside and the butter's temperature will begin to rise. The milk fat solids that are one or two percent of the butter will then begin to brown.
• Continue watching as it begins foaming a second time. Swirl it gently, watching the colour, until it turns golden brown and releases the aroma of toasting nuts.
• Immediately pour the browned butter into a bowl to stop it from browning further.
• When the potatoes are tender mash in the butter, nutmeg and seasonings. Taste and season a bit more if needed. Then watch the bowl empty!