The Irish love potatoes and no Christmas meal could ever be complete without them – one or even two different potato dishes will, no doubt, be on the menu this year. Irish potato cakes are ideal for a special meal that requires something different to turn it from the ordinary into the sublime. These potato cakes are easy to make and the recipe is so good that it’s well worth remembering – they can easily be adapted and caraway seeds, sage or a combination of fresh herbs can turn them into something completely different every time you  make them to suit whatever meal you’re making at any particular time.

Ingredients

• 250g potatoes
• ½ head fresh garden cabbage, finely chopped
• 125g wholemeal flour
• 1 lemon, grated zest only
• salt and black pepper, freshly ground
• 90ml milk
• 50g bacon dripping or butter, plus extra for frying

Method

• Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are cooked and then drain and mash – set them aside to cool down.
• Put the cabbage in salted, boiling water and allow to simmer for a few minutes and then drain – set aside to cool.
• Pour the milk into a pot, add the bacon dripping and bring to the boil at which point the potatoes  and the cabbage need to be added and blended thoroughly until everything has been heated up.
• Fold in the flour until the mixture comes away from the side of the saucepan and then turn it out onto a cold surface and shape it into cakes.
• Fry them in a little bacon dripping until brown and serve immediately.