This is a lovely easy recipe, using the best of Irish ingredients. A nice starter, or a light lunch. Increase the portion size to make a more substantial dinner dish. The combination of flavours just works perfectly, simple and tasty.

• 2 Medium-Large Potatoes (Floury / Medium Size)
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 120g Flour
• 1 Large Egg
• Smoked Salmon
• Cream Cheese (I used Philadephia Cream Cheese with Chives)
• 2 Tbsp Creme Fraiche
• 1 Red Onion (Small / Thinly Sliced)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Oil
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Potato Cakes, Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese

Peel and chop the potatoes into quarters. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add in the potatoes and cook for around 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and put the potatoes back on the heat for a couple of minutes to remove any excess moisture. Mash the potatoes with the butter until you have a smooth mash. You should have around 300g of mashed potato. Mix together with the flour (adjust flour amount if needed add more), a good punch of salt and egg until it forms a type of dough. Bring it together and place onto a lightly floured surface. This will make about 8 potato cakes depending on the thickness and size. Shape the potatoe cakes into circles about 1cm thick works well. Add a bit more flour if its too sticky. It’s really important to use a floury potato when making these, waxy potatoes just won’t produce the same result.

Potato Cakes

Take a large non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add just a small drizzle of oil. When the pan is hot, fry the potato cakes, about 3-4 minutes on each side. I add a grind of salt & pepper to the cakes while they are frying but this is optional. You may need to try the potato cakes in batches. Keep the cakes warm wrapped in foil while you fry the remainder.

Frying Potato Cakes

Burren Smokehouse Smoked Salmon

Whip the cream cheese with the creme fraiche. Use the best quality Irish smoked salmon you can, Burren Smokehouse organic smoked salmon is excellent (and available from Dunnes Stores). Place a couple of the potato cakes on a plate, top with the smoked salmon and a dollop of the cream cheese mix. Scatter the red onion, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. And enjoy…

Potato Cakes, Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese