Potato Cakes (Irish Caraway Seeds)

These simple, delicious caraway-spiced potato cakes were inspired by a description by Flurry Knox's character in Some Experiences of an Irish R.M., a classic collection of short stories by Somerville and Ross published in 1899.

"While I live I shall not forget her potato cakes. They came in hot from a pot-oven, they were speckled with caraway seeds, they swam in salt butter, and we ate them shamelessly and greasily, and washed them down with hot whiskey and water."

Reading that made my mouth water, so I knew I had to try and make this work of fiction a reality in my own kitchen. The recipe is a wonderful way of using up leftover mashed potato.

1½ lbs yellow or white potatoes (4-5 large)
¼ medium yellow onion (~ 2 oz)
2-3 sprigs fresh parsley
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. caraway seeds
¾ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
1½ Tbsp. butter, divided

Place 1½ lbs yellow or white potatoes in a large saucepan and season heavily with kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until the potatoes are knife tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop ½ medium yellow onion (about 1/3 cup). Pick and finely chop the leaves from 2-3 fresh parsley sprigs until you have 1 Tbsp. Melt 3 Tbsp. of the unsalted butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

When the potatoes are ready, drain. Peel while still hot. Pass the potatoes through a ricer or a food mill into a large bowl, or place in the bowl and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Add the parsley, onion, 1 tsp. caraway seeds, ¾ tsp. kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. black pepper, and stir to combine. Add 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and stir until combined.

Knead the mixture in the bowl a little until smooth. Transfer to a work surface and roll out with a rolling pin until about ½" thick. Using a 3" round cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible. Gather the scraps together and re-roll and cut more rounds until you have 12 total. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to firm up.

Melt ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 4 of the cakes and fry until golden-brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat frying the remaining cakes in 2 more batches, adding ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter to the pan before each batch.

Makes 12 (3") cakes or 6 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Go for Yukon Golds: The recipe calls for yellow or round white potatoes, but in the U.S. Yukon Gold potatoes are a good swap-in.
• Cook the potatoes in their skins: Although you can certainly start with leftover mashed potatoes, this recipe includes a method for making them. I recommend boiling the potatoes in their jackets because they retain their flavour when cooked and there is less waste when peeled.
• Do a taste test: Before cooking off the entire batch, cook off a little morsel of the potato mixture, taste for seasoning, and tweak if necessary.
• Don't toss the peels: Use the potato peelings to make potato peel crisps. Deep-fry until golden-brown and crisp, sprinkle with Irish sea salt, and enjoy.