From Leftovers to Feast: Pungent Potato Cake with Mixed Onions and Goat Cheese

This is a perfect way to use leftovers from the weekend. It its not a rare event that I boil too many potatoes, and it always such a waste to throw away food. Recipes like this one come in handy when such is the case. I once read that in the UK almost a third of all bought food ends in the bin, and in the US, something like half the food goes to waste. This is obviously staggering and unjustifiably wasteful - and I am often dumbfounded by my own wastefulness when I take out the trash - how much food is thrown away - though we try to make use of the food we buy as much as possible. But, one can always improve and do better!

Tant Elsa goat's cheese is a beautiful thing

I bought the cheese late-summer when my parents were over for a visit. As we often do with guests, we took them on a road trip around Scania and made our way to Österlen in the southeastern part of Scania (The Province of Scania), where agriculture is blooming and where you can also find a few independent cheese makers. We visited Vilhelmsdals gårdsmejeri which specializes in goat cheese, and bought a whole bunch of lovely cheeses to take with us back home. Despite our best efforts, we didn't finish all of them, and early in the spring I found this goat cheese in the fridge, still in the wraps (and still delicious). So, of course since this had become a question of salvaging food, I just had to include it in the dish.


From Leftovers to Feast: Pungent Potato Cake with Mixed Onions and Goat Cheese

Some humble vegetables cut down

Cooking doesn't get simpler than this. The potatoes, which had already been boiled, were cut into slices and placed in a bowl. I chopped one red onion, rather thinly, 3-4 gloves of garlic, 2-3 fresh spring onions and a handful of fresh parsley, and mixed everything together. Seasoned with salt and pepper.

You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs

Whisked 6-7 eggs in a bowl with a splash of cream and then poured over the potatoes and mixed until everything was nicely infused.

To be placed in the oven

Next, I poured a bit of oil on a pan over medium heat, spooned the potato-amalgamation carefully into it, and distributed it evenly over the pan. Fried for just about 10 minutes.

Bubbling away

The goat cheese is then cut into slices and layered on top of the potatoes. The pan is placed into a pre-heated oven, at around 200 degrees, and baked for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Put it under the grill for the remaining few moments, just long enough for the cheese to develop that beautiful golden crunch.

Served with a simple salad and a loaf of bread.

It was served hot - but the cold cut the day after was even more delightful!

Bon appetit!

P.s. The potato cake is also tasty served cold the day after (leftovers of leftovers!) - the dish had settled and the ingredients comfortably consolidated into a thicker mass - and it looked even more appealing and delicious!

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