Potato cakes

Potato cakes are a throwback to my childhood and one of my comfort foods. Mum would make a big pot of mashed potatoes for Sunday dinner, making extra so we could have potato cakes later in the week.

The options are endless, aboard or ashore. They can be served plain with just a little salt and pepper, or get fancy by adding a dollop of sour cream and chives. They are also delicious served hot-buttered with jam for a sweet snack. Served alone for lunch, or with meat and vegetables as a main course, they are delicious and filling.

If you don’t have the two cups of mashed potato the recipe calls for, just add the egg to whatever you do have and use less flour. The amount of flour is quite dependent on how wet the mashed potatoes are to start with, so use the suggested amount and adjust the amount of flour if the dough is too sticky or runny.

If you have kids on board who like to help cook, these are easy to make and it’s hard to go wrong with them.

Ingredients

• 2 cups leftover mashed potato
• 1 egg
• 1 cup white flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/3 cup flour to dredge the cakes in
• 3 tbsp oil to fry in

Combine the potato, egg, flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well to blend all ingredients. Shape into 3-4-inch cakes and dredge in flour. Heat oil, then fry until well browned on both sides. You can also add some butter to the pan to add flavour.

Options: add chives, chopped onion, grated cheese to the dough when mixing it up.

Depending on the size you prefer, makes about 8 pancakes.