Pan-fried cabbage potato cakes are a combination of mashed potatoes, crunchy fresh Savoy cabbage, egg, bacon and hazelnuts. They are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s a quick and easy recipe to prepare for any occasion, either for brunch, lunch or dinner. And they make a great hearty side or main course.
I love potato cakes. Well, you know what I mean. Right? Potato cakes are those potato patties in a combination with vegetables, mushrooms, meat, herbs or fish.
You might know them also as patties or bubble and squeak cakes. Have you ever heard of them? Bubble and squeak cakes are a traditional British dish, mostly served for breakfast. Which, just like my “patties”, is made out of leftover mashed potatoes and cooked vegetables, such as carrots, leeks or cabbage.
For my potato cakes or patties, I combined mashed potatoes and crispy Savoy cabbage as the main ingredients. Additionally, these ones are completely flour-free and breadcrumbs-free. In fact, I used ground hazelnuts instead. They give a lovely nutty touch to it. And hazelnuts pair great with cabbage and potatoes. Also, Savoy cabbage has a flavour affinity for potatoes. It is a win-win situation. Wink. And it is a great way to use potato and cabbage leftovers, too.
You might like to take a look at these versions of potato cakes: cheese stuffed potato cakes with scamorza affumicata, sweet potato-salmon cakes, a fish version of smoked mackerel-potato cakes and sweet potato bacon cakes.
Furthermore, you can use any type of cabbage. For instance, a classic white or red cabbage, Napa cabbage, Kale or Pak Choi. I decided on Savoy cabbage. Savoy cabbage has tender and crunchy leaves, which keep the structure and the gorgeous green colour also after quickly steaming them. More, the flavour is milder and slightly sweeter than other cabbages, and (as said already) it pairs great with potatoes and nuts.
For the healthier version, I picked cottage cheese. However, you can take your favourite slice of cheese and melt them on the cabbage-potato cakes. I bet it tastes delicious. After all, everything with cheese is delicious. Wink.
Ingredients for around 7-9 pan-fried cabbage potato cakes:
- 4-5 medium potatoes
- 5 large Savoy cabbage leaves
- 3-4 slices of bacon or pancetta
- 1 large egg
- 70 g ground hazelnuts
- sea salt
- olive oil
- cottage cheese
To begin, wash and cook the potatoes. When they are cooked, let them cool off for a little. Then, peel them, put in a bowl and mash them using a fork. Allow to chill off.
In the meantime, wash the cabbage leaves and slice them into strips. In a larger frying pan, add the bacon and cook it until crispy and curled up. Remove the bacon from the pan and lay it on a paper towel. Using the same pan, add the cabbage strips and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook for a couple of minutes until shiny and halfway wilted. Remove the pan from the heat, crumble in the bacon, cover and put aside.
Then, stir a beaten egg, ground hazelnuts, sea salt and 2/3 of the cabbage. Mix well to combine. Slightly wet your palms and form 7-9 cabbage-potato cakes or patties, around 7 cm large.
Preheat a larger non-sticking pan and brush each potato cake with olive oil. Place them in the hot pan and brown them for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown.
Finally, arrange the pan-fried cabbage-potato cakes onto a plate served with the remaining cabbage on the side and topped with some cottage cheese. Best enjoyed fresh out of the pan.
Enjoy.
