Recipe: Irish Potato Cakes make great side for breakfast or brinner (breakfast for dinner}

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Editor's note: Chef Angela McEllin spent many years living, working and studying culinary arts in Ireland. She and her Irish husband Rory McEllin own Florida Academy of Baking in Satellite Beach.

Potato cakes are a favorite in our house for breakfast especially. Rory will often make a huge amount of mashed potatoes for dinner so we can use them for potato cakes in the next day or two.

You can use them in place of pretty much any potato side dish — hash browns, home fries, French fries, the list goes on. Make a batch and store them in the refrigerator for three or four days or in the freezer for up to three months for a quick accompaniment to breakfast, lunch or dinner.

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We normally serve them up hot with fried eggs, grilled tomatoes and bacon or sausages for breakfast; or with an omelet, baked beans and Canadian Bacon for a quick brinner (breakfast for dinner.)

We’ve also been known to make mini potato cakes and top them with a dollop of smoked salmon, cream cheese and a sprinkle of chives for a quick appetizer. These can be served cold, so they’re easy to make up in advance.

Irish Potato Cakes

Makes 8 potato cakes

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes (leftover mashed potatoes are perfect too)

1 egg (if potatoes are very dry add an extra egg)

¼-⅓ cup all-purpose flour (if potatoes are very wet, you may need more flour)

2-3 tablespoons chopped chives (or spring onions, parsley or crumbled cooked crispy bacon)

Salt

White pepper

Olive or vegetable oil for frying

Butter for frying

Instruction:

Peel, boil, strain and mash the potatoes. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Allow to cool before proceeding.

Beat egg with a fork, add to potatoes and mix well.

Add half the flour and mix well, continue adding flour a little at a time until you achieve a workable dough that is no longer tacky.

Add chopped chives (or spring onions, parley, or crumbled cooked crispy bacon) and mix to evenly distribute.

Sprinkle flour onto your work surface and tip the dough out.

Flatten the dough to ½-inch thickness using your palm.

Using a round 2- or 3-inch cookie cutter or glass dipped in flour, cut out your potato cakes. Alternatively, use a cookie scoop and roll dough into a ball and flatten each ball to ½-inch thickness.

Heat oil in a frying pan with a little butter and fry potato cakes 4 at a time. Do not crowd the pan. Flip the cakes after 3 or 4 minutes. You’ll see the bottoms starting to brown. Allow to cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Turning as necessary.

Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining potato cakes, adding a little more oil and butter to the pan if needed.

Keep warm in an oven preheated to 250 degrees until ready to serve.

Serve with fried eggs, bacon, sausages for breakfast or gammon steak (Canadian Bacon), baked beans and scrambled eggs or an omelet for Brinner.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Satellite Beach chef shares recipe for Irish Potato Cakes