There is no substitute for home-made potato cakes - shop bought ones don't come even close. Usually made with peeled potatoes and white flour this is a modern lighter version that is gluten free using maize. During the potato famines 1845-7 the British Government imported thousands of bushels of maize meal from the U.S. and served it as a ready cooked mush to its starving subjects in Ireland. It was nicknamed Peel's Brimstone after the Prime Minister. These days we know it better as polenta and are allowed to cook it as we wish.
- 230 g potatoes
- 30 g polenta or maize meal
- Salt
- Sunflower margarine
Wash, scrub but don't peel the potatoes as all the goodness is in the skin and first millimetres. Then boil to make mash potatoes. To the mash add salt, and more margarine and more polenta until you have firm dough to make small flat cakes. Fry on both sides in more margarine. Add some dried rosemary and grated pepper to the hot fat for more flavour. Serve as a snack, or as part of an evening meal.