Irish Apple-Potato Cakes

Well, it's March! I've been waiting to crack open The Irish Spirit cookbook I got a few weeks ago. Not that I need to eat Irish Food only around St. Patrick's Day, but I did want to have a few Irish posts around this time of year.

Okay, I'll fess up. These are so good that I was eating them raw! Well, everything is safe to eat but I was eating spoonfuls before they got fried. Mashed potatoes and apples? What an AMAZING combo! This was another one of those dishes that I couldn't believe I made something on my own that tasted so good.

I am not the best fryer in the world. My Irish Apple-Potato Cakes ended up like brown mush. I don't know . . . when my grandma made mashed potato cakes they were all nice and crisp and like individual little cakes. When I tried to flip mine they were all mush. But they TASTED amazing and that's what counts, right?


Check for the Monthly Mingle #8: Savory Cakes roundup at hosted by Meeta at What's for Lunch Honey at the end of the month.

Irish Apple-Potato Cakes Makes 8 Cakes 1 pound baking potatoes, peeled and quartered 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced 2 tablespoons water 4 tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons canola oil

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the apples and water. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the apples begin to break up and are pulpy. Drain the apples and stir into the potatoes. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter, the parsley, flour and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. With floured hands, form the mixture into 8 flat cakes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the oil. Fry the potato cakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until browned and crisp.