It’s that time of year again, when supermarkets try to sell us green paraphernalia and convince everyone to be Irish for a day. Here, everyone insists on calling it ‘St. Patty’s day’ which kind of makes of me smile and cringe at the same time. It is great to see our feast day celebrated across the world though.
It will be kind of strange to be somewhere else for St Patrick’s Day, but I am looking forward to see how they celebrate it Seattle style. Lately, I’ve been asked a lot about traditional Irish recipes. Bacon and Cabbage is about as Irish as it gets, and the most traditional one I can think of. We usually serve it with mashed potatoes and lashings of white sauce with parsley.
I have actually been craving this dish, but it seemed like a lot of effort, and I am having a really hard time finding smaller cuts of bacon here. So, I had some left over mashed potatoes, to which I added some crispy bacon and tender shredded cabbage. I formed this into delicious little cakes, and fried until golden. The OH hates cabbage, but devoured these up without even noticing. These tasty cakes make a great supper and a nice alternative to the bland potato cake.
Ingredients
- 2 strips of streaky bacon
- 150g of cabbage / Half a small head of cabbage -washed and dried
- Splash of olive oil
- 400g of cooked potatoes/ 2 or 3 medium sized potatoes
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon of butter, melted
- 60ml / ¼ cup of milk
- 1 heaped tablespoon of flour
- ½ teaspoon of paprika
- Splash of olive oil
Method
Begin by slicing the streaky bacon into small strips, and then slice the cabbage into thin shreds. Place a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the strips of bacon and fry until crisp. Take the cooked bacon from the pan and place it on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Then, place the shredded cabbage into the same frying pan as the bacon. Cook the cabbage in the leftover bacon fat over a medium heat. Cook it until tender and wilted. Once the cabbage is cooked, add the bacon back to pan with the cabbage. Mix together with a wooden spoon, taste and season.
Meanwhile cook the potatoes, and then mash using a potato ricer or masher. Add the milk and melted butter to the mashed potato. Mix well, and then add the bacon and cabbage. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Place the flour, some salt, pepper and the paprika on a large diner plate and mix together. Using your hands, form the potato into flat discs, then roll them in the seasoned flour. You should get about 8 to 10 potato cakes from this mixture. Heat another splash of olive oil in a large clean frying pan. Place the potato cakes on the pan and cook each side for a few minutes before turning over. They should be nice, golden and crisp on each side. Serve straight away with a fresh green salad.
