Cooking with Colm O'Gorman: Breakfast for dinner with potato cakes and black pudding
Potato cakes with apple sauce, bacon and black pudding.
A German friend told me years ago about a potato side dish called ‘Heaven and Earth’, so-called because it was a mix of apples, from heaven, and potatoes, from the earth. It is served with crispy onions on top, often as a side dish to sausages or pork. Our son loved it when she made it for him, and I must say apple and potato work very well together. Another German take on this flavour combination are crispy potato pancakes served with apple sauce. You may have come across them if you have ever visited a German or Austrian Christmas Market.
They are wonderful, something like a very thin and crispy potato rosti, served with either salt and garlic butter or with apple sauce. I thought about them over the holidays as I reminisced about festive trips away and was inspired to try a more Irish take on the same flavour combination.
I love potato cakes. I make them quite thick and fluffy, using plenty of butter and seasoning with some chopped spring onions added. They really are very simple to make and gorgeous for a weekend brunch.
Here though I am serving them with black pudding, crispy streaky smoked bacon and apple sauce. This is a wonderful combination of flavours and textures.
I used Bramley apples to make the apple sauce and sautéed them in butter with some brown sugar for the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. I would suggest that you aim to retain a little shape and texture in the apples when you make the sauce. You will need to keep an eye on them to achieve that as they cook down to a puree very quickly. Though, if that does happen do not fret, it will still taste fantastic.
Use a decent black pudding, something with plenty of peppery spice, and I do recommend that you use smoked streaky bacon for this dish. Grill the bacon until it is crispy and golden, and it will bring some beautiful crunch and wonderful smoky savoury flavour to the dish.
Potato cakes with apple sauce, black pudding and bacon
These potato cakes with a twist are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner
Servings
4Course
MainIngredients
650-750g floury potatoes
225g plain flour
40g melted butter
35ml double cream
4 spring onions
1 tsp flaky sea salt
Black Pepper
250g bramley apples
1 tsp lemon juice
20g butter
25g dark brown sugar
Salt and pepper
12 slices smoked streaky bacon
8 generous slices of black pudding
Method
Make your mashed potato by baking them in the oven or microwave, scoop out the flesh into the pan of warm cream and melted butter and season with salt and pepper.
Wash and chop the spring onions. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed potato, flour and spring onions. Mix it all together well until you have a dough.
On a lightly floured surface knead the dough until it is smooth. Divide the dough into four equal portions. Use your hands to shape each portion into a round cake about 2cm thick. Set aside.
For the apple sauce, wash, peel and core your apples.
Heat the butter in a pan until it is melted and foaming and chop the apples into 2cm chunks and add them to the pan along with the sugar and lemon juice.
Cook over a medium heat for five to eight minutes until the apples start to cook down into a sauce but still retain a little of their shape and texture. Once they are cooked, take them off the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Grill the bacon until it is very crispy and golden. Fry the black pudding, give it about three to four minutes per side.
To finish off the potato cakes use a heavy based, non-stick pan over a high heat. You do not need to use any oil.
Turn down to a medium heat and cook for four to five minutes per side until they are browned and cooked through.
Serve one potato cake per person on a warm plate, with two slices of black pudding and three slices of crispy bacon per serving. Finish the dish with a spoonful of apple sauce.
