I use thyme often in conjunction with another favorite herb of mine - rosemary - but I wanted to present you with a recipe that was really going to make the thyme shine and stand out on its own. I think these potato flatcakes do that successfully.
Thyme pairs well with potatoes and I use it to season them all of the time (like these roasted herb potatoes). I wanted to shake it up a little though and use both the potatoes and the thyme in an unexpected way, and with that these potato flatcakes were born. The mashed potatoes and other somewhat simple flavors in this dish really give the thyme something to stand out against. The flavor of the thyme shines and shows you who the star of this dish is.
Alright, it's time (pun intended!): Let's get cookin'!
Thyme Potato Flatcakes
Servings: 4
Prep. time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra on stand-by as needed for frying all of the cakes
1 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 rounded tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon hot sauce (like Tabasco)
4 Idaho potatoes, peeled
6 teaspoons of butter
2 handfuls of grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped fine
1 egg
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut a head of garlic in half, around the center. Place each half, cut side up on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon each of the sea salt & black pepper.
Wrap in the aluminum foil and place on the middle rack in the oven.
Allow to cook while you make the sauce, as well as prepare, boil, and drain the potatoes.
To make the sauce, simply add the sour cream & the hot sauce to a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Place plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and put in the fridge to keep cold while you continue making the rest of the food.
Moving on to the potatoes. Place a large pot halfway full with water on the stove over high heat. While you're waiting for that to come to a boil, cut the peeled potatoes into cubes. Place all of the potatoes in the water to cook.
Check them periodically to test if they're done by fishing one or two out with a spoon and pressing a fork into them. They should be not just fork tender, but mushy.
Once they reach the mushy stage, they're done cooking. Carefully pour the water and potatoes into a colander in the sink to drain. After the water has been drained, place the potatoes back into the warm pot that you cooked them in and place the pot back on the stove over the burner you cooked them on.
At this point, remove the garlic from the oven and carefully open the aluminum foil to expose the roasted garlic.
Hold the bottom of the halves and pluck the roasted garlic from their pouches using a fork and place them all in the pot with the drained potatoes. Discard the skins.
Mash with a potato masher until they're smooth and all of the ingredients are combined.
Next, add the egg and bread crumbs and stir to combine with a rubber spatula.
Wet your hands and roll about 2 tablespoons of the mashed potatoes into a ball. Place three of the balls in the skillet.
Using the flat bottom of a spatula, press down on the top of each ball to create a flattened cake, like a pancake.
Let cook on one side until the bottom is crispy and brown. Carefully flip over to the other side and cook until it's crispy and brown. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate to drain the oil slightly before putting on your serving dish(es).
Repeat this until you're through all of the potatoes, adding more oil to the pan as you go, as needed.
Once you're done cooking all of the potato flats and the oil has been drained from them, place them on your serving dish(es). Use a teaspoon to scoop up the sauce and drizzle it over the flats (or if you're allergic to sour cream like me, just pour some of the hot sauce directly on your potato flats).
Serve warm alongside a salad, some steamed broccoli, or a piece of baked chicken and enjoy. Salute!
No comments:
Post a Comment