The Cottage Smallholder

Fiona’s potato cake recipe

patato cakes Whenever I make mashed potatoes I make a double amount so as to have enough left over to make potato cakes. Usually, my potato loving partner sniffs out the remains, however carefully I have hidden them. It’s my fault entirely. I tend not to announce future culinary plots and plans. But this week I did.
“I’ll cook tomorrow and make you potato cakes, if there is any mash left.”
The uplifted arm dropped and the saucepan lid was replaced immediately.

Potato cakes are easy to make and are real comfort food and somehow a bit more special than simple baked spuds. It’s the combination of crunch and billowing softness that makes them a superb treat.

We fry our cakes but I’m sure they’d work well baked in the oven. Watch this space. The secret of perfect potato cakes is to fry them slowly at a low temperature. I give them at least five undisturbed minutes before considering turning them.

Using a fish slice take a peek under one. If it is golden brown they are all ready to be turned as the crisp coating will hold them together. Wait until they have reached the golden brown stage and keep an eye on the clock so that when you turn them you can give them roughly the same time for the other side, minus a couple of minutes.

If you are loathe to sacrifice a cake to allow for extra manoeuvring space in the pan, remove a cake to a separate plate so as to turn the others easily and then pop it back to brown with the rest.

Potato cake recipe (2-3 portions)

Ingredients:

Cold mashed potato (made from 3-4 medium poatoes)
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1 teaspoon mixed herbs (chopped fine)
1 beaten egg
4-6 tablespoons of plain flour (seasoned with salt and ground black pepper)
2 tablespoons of Olive oil or goose fat for frying

Method:

Heat the oil or fat in the frying pan over a low heat.
Add the herbs and the garlic to the cold potato and shape the potato into small cakes (approx 6cm diameter and 2cm deep).
Dip each cake into the beaten egg, coat with plenty of flour and place gently in the frying pan.
Leave the cakes for at least five minutes. Ideally the underside should be a golden brown colour.
When you turn them add a little more oil or fat if the pan is dry and fry for a further five minutes.

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59 Comments so far

Sue on December 9th, 2007

I hadn’t thought about coating the cakes with egg before but it really made a difference – they tasted great! I poured the leftover egg on top of them while they were in the pan so as not to waste any.
fn on December 12th, 2007

Hi Sue,

Great idea pouring over the leftover egg. Thanks for the tip!
Sheila on January 22nd, 2008

Great recipe. Love potato cakes, now I am going to make my own. Thank You
fn on January 23rd, 2008

Hello Sheila

I hope that they work out for you. Thanks for the nudge, I think that I’ll make them this week!
Len, Jan, Pauline and Ken on February 17th, 2008

We all enjoyed your potato cakes for breakfast this morning. They really were delicious and filling though we left out the garlic!
fn on February 17th, 2008

Hi Len, Jan, Pauline and Ken,

Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving a comment.

Wise move to leave out the garlic as we make these for supper. Breakfast is a whole new avenue to enjoy! Thanks for the suggestion.
Brenda on February 25th, 2008

Lovely mixed with grated cheese before making into cakes. I served this with gammon and baked tomatoes
fn on February 26th, 2008

Hi Brenda

Great twist. Thank you.
andy on March 22nd, 2008

Try with Bacon, Black pud, toms n beans for a different breakfast. Better than hash borwns anyday
fn on March 24th, 2008

Hi Andy

Your breakfast sounds delicious!

Thanks for leaving a comment.
Robin on May 3rd, 2008

Great recipe! I like sauteeing the garlic with green onions until a bit browned and mixing that into the potato with a bit of dill – makes a nice variation.
fn on May 4th, 2008

Hi Robin

That sounds delicious, thank you.
Derek on May 25th, 2008

Living in Spain I seasoned the flour coating with Spanish Smoked Paprika. Very nice.
fn on May 26th, 2008

Hi Derek

Thanks for this tip – sounds delicious. I love Spanish smoked paprika.
Steve on June 30th, 2008

Have just come across you recipe it sounds delicious, never thought of the egg. I’m sure these will go down a treat with my teenage son.

Will report back!!
fn on July 1st, 2008

Hi Steve

I love these too – great also with eggs and bacon for breakfast!
GemmA on July 4th, 2008

Hi thanks for the idea was tring to find new ideas for my baby and this will be perfect with some salmon as she won’t eat any fish thanks you.
dave on July 6th, 2008

great with spring onions and grated red leicester cheese
fn on July 7th, 2008

Hi GemmA

Lucky baby – I love these too.

Hi Dave

I must try that combination, sound yummy!
kRis on July 31st, 2008

Nice I’m going to try these for breakfast.
Rachael on September 9th, 2008

I tried your recipe, but with sweet potatoes and with a sweet chili dip-delicious!
Doug on September 15th, 2008

hi,
im full of homegrown potatoe cake goodness, no garlic just parsley, salt and pepper… Mmmmmmm!
x
johng on November 7th, 2008

Thanks for the info – brilliant
Pamela on November 7th, 2008

Hi Fiona

I’ve just eaten these potato cakes for supper having read johng’s comment and realised I had left over mash. They were delicious! I’ll be making them again, and again.
George Partington on December 11th, 2008

Being of an Irish Family, Irish Farls (potato cakes) were a part of my diet growing up. Farls are a little different and contain scallions (Spring Onions). I have made this recipe and I really like it I will make it often now Thanks.
Ian on December 11th, 2008

Hi Fiona,
Thanks for the recipe i made these last night for the kids and we loved them, a bit soft inside but maybe I should dry the pototoes out next time a bit more. I’m going to see what other things i can have a try cooking.
Mary on January 15th, 2009

I have been cooking these for 50 years and my mother before me (minus the garlic & herbs)but instead of dipping the cakes ino beaten egg, I mix the beaten egg into the potato but you must use at least a day old mash as it wont take the egg otherwise. I sometimes add cooked fish or grated cheese
Roy on January 26th, 2009

I have loved potato cakes for 60 years. My recipe is 2lb mash, 6 ozs grated cheddar, cupful of chopped fresh parsley and an egg. All mixed (mashed) while potatoes are hot. The mixture is left in a bowl to dry out and cool overnight. I then shape into cakes using flour to stop them sticking to hands and fry. They also freeze well (open freeze on foil) and can be used from frozen. My grown up family and grand children love them. My mum grew parsley just for this and so do I. I have just finished making a batch for the freezer!
kathleen on January 27th, 2009

oh roy they sound lovely its 3 30 in the morning im gonna try your,s gonna make them now.as i,m on a tight budget right now so they will be great.thanks again.
Mitch on January 30th, 2009

Hi Fiona,

thanks for the recipe it’s really nice and tasty (no wonder the mention of the cake can stop shrek from stealing mashed potatoes ^^)

There is just a simple problem, the cake won’t hold and will break when being removed/turned on the pan while being fried… I don’t know what’s wrong either, but they are simply breaking when I try to turn them. >.< What should I do?
Mary on January 30th, 2009

Mitch, did you mix an egg into the potato then coat in flour before frying?
Mitch on January 30th, 2009

Yeah I did, I even dipped them many times, each time coat them with flour too but still they break. >.<
fn on January 31st, 2009

Hello Mitch

You need to leave them for quite a time, over a low heat before you turn them. The potato cake needs to form a crust before it is turned or it will break up.

When I’m making them I leave them for about 10 mins over a very low heat and then peek to see how firm they are on the base, then I’m really gentle if they are ready to turn.

If you use egg you shouldn’t have this problem. I often don’t tend to use egg so the cakes are very delicate. I think that they need patience.

There are very good comments above from Mary and Roy. The both mix egg into the mixture. Why not try these as they would be a bit more sturdy.
derek hayes on February 4th, 2009

can you use self raising flour as its all i,ve got at the minute,i will get some plain flour tomorrowgreat receipy
fn on February 4th, 2009

Hi Derek

I don’t see why not. You can make pastry with self raising flower.
amanda570 on February 15th, 2009

I’m going to try them with chopped chives and a big lump of cheese in the middle so when you cut them open the cheese will hopefully ooze out like a chocolate fondant pudding! I’m going to make duck in orange and cherry sauce – any ideas how to flavour the potato cakes with that? Or is simple seasoning better in that case?
Trish on February 15th, 2009

I tried to make them without the egg, they didn’t work so on searching the net found your recipe, looks fantastic! I will be trying it out in the next few days!
The Cottage Smallholder « Big Purple Dragon on February 16th, 2009

[...] style! They flopped when they were flipped too! So when Little fella was in bed I hunted down a recipe from the net. It looks so good that I can almost smell [...]
amanda570 on February 16th, 2009

Update – I tried cooking in heavy bottomed frying pan – they were “ok”; but not like in the picture! I think I may add an egg to the mash potato and a touch of flour before I try them again – tonight! Poor husband will be having them coming out of his ears until I get them perfected. But as his roots are in Ireland, I don’t think he will mind too much:)
amanda570 on February 17th, 2009

Ok, I’m getting OCD about this now! Yesterday I tried them, but they were more like potato scones/pancakes. Certainly better than my first attempt as I added egg and flour (and a little milk) to the mash before hand. Is my heavy bottomed pan the issue? Should it be in a non-stick frying pan?
(Mr) Kit Merrill on February 18th, 2009

Thanks for your delish variation on potato cakes.
Two questions: *Have you ever heard of ‘flour&water cakes’ which my Father used to make in the ’50s?(no doubt a wartime recipe). *Have you tried ‘Danish baked potatoes’? They are wonderful & SO versatile!
Method available, if you wish. Best wishes, Kit.
Brian.E.Churchill. Mr on March 6th, 2009

I haven’t tasted potatoe cakes since was a boy during WW11! I saw your recipe on the net and to have a go.I added a little cheddar cheese to the mixture and fried in olive oil,absolutely delicious. Thank you taken me back to 1943.
Tony on March 6th, 2009

great I only decided to surf for potato cakes as
the spuds here in Egypt are real tasty and as I always cook too many’ thought about potato cakes remembering my wife used to make them years ago.will let you know how they turn out. and yes i can get chedder almost as good as the stuff WE had in Wales.
Winston Churchill on May 23rd, 2009

I haven’t tasted potato cakes since was a boy during WWII! I saw your recipe on the net and had to have a go. I added a little cheddar cheese to the mixture and fried in olive oil,absolutely delicious. F*** you, you have taken me back to 1943.
fn on May 24th, 2009

Hello Everyone

Thanks for leaving your comments. I feel so embarassed that I haven’t answered the comments on the post since March. Many apologies.

Hello amanda570

Love the idea of the cheese in the middle. Thank you.

Hi Trish

You need the egg and a lot of patience. These cakes are not run up towards the end of the meal preparation. They keep very well warm so I always start them off at the beginning of cooking just in case they need a bit longer to brown. Each variety of spud can make a difference on the timing.

Hi Amanda570

We don’t have a non stick frying pan (we use stainless steel with hefty base). You need to give these loads of time over an ultra low heat and keep a beady eye on them. Don’t flip them until they have a good solid crisp base.

Hello Trish

I reckon that you are using too high heat. This would make the cakes stick to the pan. Making these is a slow process until you have found the ideal heat for your particular pan and choice of spuds. If your spuds are very waxy you may need a little more oil.

Hi Kit

I haven’t heard of either method but both sound intriguing. Would love the recipes.

Hello Brian.E.Churchill. Mr

Delighted that you enjoyed these potato cakes. I was born in the fifties but didn’t discover potato cakes until I left home in the 1970’s. Delighted that my recipe took you back to 1943!

Hello Tony

I do hope that they worked out well for you.

Hi Winston Churchill

Thanks for the nudge.
Feeeee on June 18th, 2009

Wow just made some and there lovely!! Think they could have done with being a bit more golden..but still fab all the same!!
(Mr) Kit Merrill on June 30th, 2009

OK: DANISH BAKED POTATO

First bake large potato (for one or two, cheapest is to use microwave) then squeeze gently both sides to check cooked.
Slice with angled cuts,3/4 through,then squeeze again to break and ‘flour’ slices.
Add in between slices your choice of e.g. olive oil etc., garlic,cheese,whatever.
Finish by top-browning under grill or in oven.

Part of a potato can be pulled off to be eaten, without you or guests being overawed by a whole one!
Cold slices are a delicious side-nibble while cooking next day.

Enjoy! Kind regards to you all, Kit.
bill on August 16th, 2009

lovely !
fn on August 18th, 2009

Hi Feeee

This potato cakes need quite a bit of time to turn golden brown. Worth the wait though!

Hello Kit

Your Danish baked potatoes sound superb. Thanks for sharing – can’t wait to try them.

Hi Bill

Thanks for leaving a comment!
hannah on October 8th, 2009

just tried these… infact have some turned over and browning as we speak! made some for fussy kids who at them all up! have made extra to send som eto hubby work for his breakkie tomorrw (he starts at 5am so early to eat before!!!)

Really great thanks a million!!!
Johnny A on December 19th, 2009

I just made these but like a reader above suffered near collapse when turning one of them over but managed to salvage it!

Am a bit confused about the egg situation, it says in the recipe to dip the egg in, yet in some of the comments it says mix the beaten egg into the mash mixture? Which one is correct?

I did find the brown bottom wasnt attached to the soft potatoe at all and kind of seperated when I tried to turn them over – is that normal?

Tasted really nice though, just like my grandma used to make – but not as good, obviouslly!
john on August 2nd, 2010

MY MUM USED TO MAKE POTATO CAKES OR BUBBLE AND SQUEAK WITH THE LEFT OVERS FROM OUR SUNDAY DINNER
WENT DOWN GREAT WITH BULSEYE ON THE TELLY
Stilton, Bacon & Potato Cakes | Greedy Gourmet on September 29th, 2010

[...] Fiona’s Potato Cake Recipe [...]
Emma on February 19th, 2011

I mixed i chopped up red pepper and smoked salmon with the mashed potato and then served them as fishcakes very popular! thanks
Anthony on April 22nd, 2011

Very interesting sounding recipe. I usually do mine differently but thought today I’d have a scout round for a twist on the norm. I’ve cooked a few of your recipes in the past and they have all been delicious so shall give these a go this morning. Thanks!

Ps. I’ll put my recipe on my site so you can see the difference. I use a lot more flour and get a very bready result
John on May 22nd, 2011

Used your recipe but beat 3 eggs into the cold mash fried and grilled to brown the top
Kitty on August 14th, 2011

just bin making then with homegrown potatos!! my grandma gave me a recipie and she used grated potato’s and grated fryed onions they were very nice… but yours beet them though i did leave out the garlic. I’m having a dinner party next week i’m going to make them for my starter along with smoked salmmon and rosted pepper… Yum
Mejares, Reymart on October 14th, 2011

I love potato so now I have found on how to bake potato cake in a easier way, therefore I try to bake and taste how delicious the sweet potato cake
jojo on January 24th, 2012

same recet as everyone else