Irish Potato Cakes

Healthy?  Nope!  Delicious?  You bet!  This is like eating a fried loaded baked potato, and it has me hungry just thinking about it :)

This serves 2-3 people as a main course or 4-6 people as an appetizer (depending on how big your potatoes are)

You will need:

• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• a dash of milk
• 4 strips of bacon
• 1/4 - 1/2 yellow onion, chopped finely
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon of a mixture of: thyme leaves, tarragon, and marjoram (you can use whatever seasonings you like, though!)
• Canola oil for frying the patties

For coating the patties:

• flour
• 1 large egg mixed with a dash of water
• bread crumbs

Cook the onion in a small pan with a drizzle of olive oil until they are soft.  When they are soft, remove them from the heat.  While the onions are cooking, cook the potatoes in boiling water until soft (about 15 minutes).

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.

 

Mash the potatoes and then stir in the butter and milk until smooth.

Stir in the nutmeg and seasoning mix, and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes.

 

While the potato mixture is cooling, cook the bacon until it is crispy (I did ours in the microwave, but stove top works well, too!)  Mix the bacon and the onion into the potatoes, then form the mix into patties.

 

Dredge the patties in flour, then the egg/water mix, and then the bread crumbs.

 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the patties and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until they are browned.

Serve on a bed of greens- it looks pretty and you can pretend it's healthier ;)