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Quick And Easy

20th Dec 2016

Bacon, Spinach And Cheese Potato Cakes With Fried Egg And Ballmaloe Relish

niallharbison

Ingredients
  • Potatoes
  • Spinach
  • Plain flour
  • Eggs
  • Bacon
  • Cheddar Cheese
  • Ballymaloe Relish

We all have a serious brunch addiction at the moment, and though eating out is fun, there are times when you just prefer to cook at home.

This little recipe is designed to be seriously easy to prepare, while also being massively tasty.

Invite a few friends over today, fire on a big pot of coffee, and lounge around with these potato cakes and the papers. Perfect Sunday sorted!

Instructions

Step 1

The beauty of this recipe is that there’s fuck all ingredients. If you’re feeling flash with the cash, get some really good quality bacon, cheese and free range eggs. It’ll make all the difference.


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Step 2

Start by peeling the spuds and chopping them into evenly sized pieces, before throwing them on to boil after.


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Step 3

Slice up the bacon into generously sized chunks.


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Step 4

Lash it into a large frying pan. You won’t need any oil, because the fat will start coming out of the bacon. Keep it moving on a nice high heat.


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Step 5

While the bacon is cooking, slice up the spinach into thin pieces. Just grab a big fistful into your hand at a time.


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Step 6

When the bacon is cooked, fuck in the spinach.


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Step 7

It isn’t going to take long to cook, so just stir it around in the pan.


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Step 8

It should wilt down and look like this after about a minute, once it does, whip it off the heat.


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Step 9

Grate the cheese (shouldn’t really have to explain this part to you). A good sharp Irish cheddar works best in this dish.


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Step 10

When the spuds are cooked, strain the water off them and mash them up.


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Step 11

Throw in the bacon, spinach and cheese along with some salt and pepper.


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Step 12

Mash the whole thing up so that it’s super smooth, and starting to turn green given the amount of spinach that’s in it.


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Step 13

Now whip the mixture out of the pot and shape them into little cakes that are about the size of a burger.


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Step 14

Dust them with a little flour, and make sure to shake off any excess.


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Step 15

Lash the cakes into a frying pan with a little oil on a medium heat.


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Step 16

After a couple of minutes cooking, flip the bastards over when they start to brown up and cook them on the other side.


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Step 17

After another couple of minutes with the cakes brown on each side, push them carefully to one side, add a little more oil and fry the eggs. You could use another pan, but I hate washing up so I’m sure you do too! Leave the eggs a little runny so the yolk creates it’s own sauce for the entire dish.


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Step 18

They key to this dish is plating it up all fancy like a proper chef. Start with a nice spoonful of the relish in the centre of the plate, then smear it out into a circle.


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Step 19

Lash a cake on, and then follow with the first of the eggs. Then repeat and drizzle with a little of the relish.


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Step 20

It should end up looking like this.


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You’ve take simple Irish ingredients and, with a few quick tricks, turned them into something that you’d happily pay around €12 for in a restaurant.

If you shop smart the whole thing should only cost you a tenner and serve four people. You’ve no fucking idea just how good these little potato cakes taste either – simple but incredibly delicious!

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