Stuffed potato cakes with tomato-chilli relish

These potato cakes also work well stuffed with leftovers such as vegetables, smoked fish, fresh curds or bolognese. They can be quick snacks, a dinner served with a salad or even eaten for breakfast. The potato flour and egg yolk are what hold the potato cakes together and make them easy to fry.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 potatoes (about 850-900g), cut into 3cm cubes
• 1 egg yolk
• 50g (4 tbsp plus 1 tsp) potato flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
• salt and pepper, to season

Filling

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 bunch silverbeet, leaves and stems roughly sliced
• 3 spring onions, green and white parts, sliced
• 100ml white wine, optional
• 1 handful dill, roughly chopped
• 1 handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to season
• zest of ½ lemon

METHOD

1. For the filling, heat the oil in a medium pot over a medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the silverbeet and spring onion and stir to coat with the oil. Deglaze the pot with the white wine, if using.
2. Turn the heat down to low and cook the greens for 20 minutes, or until tender. Add the herbs and spices, season with salt and pepper, and cook for a further 5-10 minutes. Add the lemon zest, transfer to a bowl and let the mixture cool.
3. For the potato cakes, place the potatoes into a pot with 2cm of water, bring it to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until tender.
4. Drain the potatoes then push them through a potato ricer, or mash them using a potato masher or a fork. Allow them to cool slightly, then add the egg yolk, potato flour, oil, salt and pepper. Mix to form a smooth “dough”.
5. Line a tray with baking paper. Using your hands, take 3 tablespoons of the potato dough and press it to form a disc. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the centre of the disc, fold the potato dough over the filling and press it into a puck shape. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
6. Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the potato cakes for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until golden on both sides. Serve with tomato-chilli relish (see below).

Makes 14 potato cakes

Tomato-chilli relish

A good relish is determined by its versatility, even when it has distinct punchy flavours. The balance between sweetness, acidity and saltiness in this relish allows it to accompany most dishes, and those three elements also help to preserve it. No matter what ingredients you choose for your relish, specific visual cues will tell you when it’s ready for bottling – you’re aiming for a glossy, jammy texture. If it’s too loose, the relish will be soggy and have a short shelf life.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

sterilised jars (see below)

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 red onions, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 4 tsp smoked paprika
• 100g chilli flakes
• 300g tomato paste (concentrated puree)
• 1½kg tomatoes, roughly diced
• 150ml sherry vinegar
• 100g (½ cup lightly packed) brown sugar
• 150g (⅔ cup) caster sugar
• 5 tsp salt

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in a medium pot over a low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender.
2. Add the cumin, paprika and chilli, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring continuously, until it begins to bubble, then add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 45-50 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by three-quarters.
3. Add the vinegar, sugars and salt, and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until thick and glossy.
4. When the relish begins to thicken and becomes glossy, test it by dragging a spoon down the centre – it’s ready when it slowly joins back together. Immediately spoon the hot mix into sterilised jars, tightly close the jars and let them cool to room temperature. The relish will keep for 12 months and should be stored in the fridge once opened.

Makes 2 litres

How to clean equipment

Clean, sterile equipment is essential for successful and prolonged food preserving. Bacteria thrive in moist, temperate, food-rich environments. Food stored in jars in these conditions creates an ideal ecosystem for good and bad bacteria growth. It’s our role as the food preserver to control the environment for beneficial bacteria to thrive, so we can avoid the nasties. Harmful bacteria cause food spoilage, reduce shelf life, make food unpalatable and can lead to food poisoning. They can appear as colourful moulds, smell astringent or overly funky, and taste bitter, but they can also be undetectable. That’s the scary bit.

There are simple steps to reduce the risk of this happening. Practise good personal hygiene by washing your hands, work cleanly to prevent cross contamination and use clean, sterilised equipment.

For general cooking utensils, such as spoons, ladles, thermometers, etc: wash the equipment in hot soapy water and rinse. Fill a pot with water and bring it to the boil. Submerge the equipment into boiling water for one minute then place it on a clean tea towel to dry.

An efficient way to sterilise glass jars: preheat the oven to 110C (fan-forced or conventional) and heat the clean jars for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Place the clean jar lids in boiling water for 5 minutes.

The aim of each method is to kill any potential bacteria with heat over time. This gives you a “clean slate” and allows for effective and safe preserving.

This is an edited extract from Sustain: Groundbreaking Recipes and Skills that Could Save the Planet by Jo Barrett, Hardie Grant, RRP $55. Photography: Mark Roper. Buy now