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Parsnip, sprout and bacon potato cakes

Put leftover veg to delicious use in this tasty brunch, lunch or dinner dish
Parsnip potato cakes

The team at Riverford Organic in Devon share their recipe for parsnip, sprout and bacon potato cakes

Serves    4
Oven temp    200°C/gas 6
  • Parsnips 200g, peeled and cubed
  • Olive oil 3 tbsp
  • Potatoes 300g, peeled and cubed
  • Brussels sprouts 200g
  • Smoked streaky bacon 8 rashers, cut into strips
  • Polenta flour for dusting
  • Salt and pepper to season
  1. Preheat oven to 200°C/gas 6. Toss the parsnips with salt, pepper and about a tablespoon of the oil. Spread over an oven tray and roast for about 40 minutes, until soft and beginning to caramelise. Remove, allow to cool then roughly chop.
  2. While the parsnips are roasting, boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain well and mash while warm. Keep your mash as dry as possible so that the cakes hold together; if it seems wet stir it over a low heat for a few minutes.
  3. Cook the sprouts in plenty of salted boiling water until tender. Drain well and cut into quarters.
  4. Fry the bacon over a medium–high heat with a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan until really crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the oil left in the pan to fry the cakes.
  5. Mix all the veg with the bacon and season with salt and pepper. Dust your hands with flour then mould the mixture into burger-sized patties. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan, place over a medium heat and fry the cakes in batches until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. If the first potato cakes have cooled down by the time you have fried the last, you can reheat them all in the oven for 5–10 minutes, until piping hot.

You will need

  • Parsnips 200g, peeled and cubed
  • Olive oil 3 tbsp
  • Potatoes 300g, peeled and cubed
  • Brussels sprouts 200g
  • Smoked streaky bacon 8 rashers, cut into strips
  • Polenta flour for dusting
  • Salt and pepper to season

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C/gas 6. Toss the parsnips with salt, pepper and about a tablespoon of the oil. Spread over an oven tray and roast for about 40 minutes, until soft and beginning to caramelise. Remove, allow to cool then roughly chop.
  2. While the parsnips are roasting, boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain well and mash while warm. Keep your mash as dry as possible so that the cakes hold together; if it seems wet stir it over a low heat for a few minutes.
  3. Cook the sprouts in plenty of salted boiling water until tender. Drain well and cut into quarters.
  4. Fry the bacon over a medium–high heat with a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan until really crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the oil left in the pan to fry the cakes.
  5. Mix all the veg with the bacon and season with salt and pepper. Dust your hands with flour then mould the mixture into burger-sized patties. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan, place over a medium heat and fry the cakes in batches until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. If the first potato cakes have cooled down by the time you have fried the last, you can reheat them all in the oven for 5–10 minutes, until piping hot.

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  • Parsnips 200g, peeled and cubed
  • Olive oil 3 tbsp
  • Potatoes 300g, peeled and cubed
  • Brussels sprouts 200g
  • Smoked streaky bacon 8 rashers, cut into strips
  • Polenta flour for dusting
  • Salt and pepper to season
  1. Preheat oven to 200°C/gas 6. Toss the parsnips with salt, pepper and about a tablespoon of the oil. Spread over an oven tray and roast for about 40 minutes, until soft and beginning to caramelise. Remove, allow to cool then roughly chop.
  2. While the parsnips are roasting, boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain well and mash while warm. Keep your mash as dry as possible so that the cakes hold together; if it seems wet stir it over a low heat for a few minutes.
  3. Cook the sprouts in plenty of salted boiling water until tender. Drain well and cut into quarters.
  4. Fry the bacon over a medium–high heat with a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan until really crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep the oil left in the pan to fry the cakes.
  5. Mix all the veg with the bacon and season with salt and pepper. Dust your hands with flour then mould the mixture into burger-sized patties. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan, place over a medium heat and fry the cakes in batches until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. If the first potato cakes have cooled down by the time you have fried the last, you can reheat them all in the oven for 5–10 minutes, until piping hot.