Leftover Mashed Potato-Broccoli-Walnut Cakes

DESCRIPTION

Green-speckled and soft on the inside, golden and crisp on the outside – this is how to embed broccoli in mashed potatoes and come up with something exceeding the sum of its parts.

Total Time
45 Mins
Serves
10
Serving Size
1 cake
Meal
Brunch Dinner
Course
Side

Total Time

Prep Time
20 Mins
Cook Time
25 Mins
Total Time
45 Mins

Nutrition

Calories
174 cal
Total Fat
15 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
4 mg
Sodium
151 mg
Carbohydrates
9 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Protein
3 g

Ingredients

  • 2 cups broccoli florets and peeled stems, finely minced
  • 1 3/4 cups potatoes, mashed leftover
  • 2 tablespoons mustard, prepared, plain yellow or Dijon
  • Up to 1 teaspoon garlic, minced or crushed
  • 1/2 cup scallions (whites and reasonable greens), very finely minced
  • Up to 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • Black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups California walnuts, ground
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, grapeseed oil, or high-oleic safflower oil
  • Touch of butter, unsalted (optional)

Preparation

  1. Heat a kettle of water to boiling. Have the broccoli set up in a colander sitting in a large bowl in the sink, and when the water boils, pour it into the broccoli to cook it slightly. Let sit for 2 minutes then drain well, shaking off all the excess water. Transfer the broccoli to a clean tea towel – spreading it out and patting it to dry it completely. Return the colander to the sink (no need to clean it at this point).
  2. Place the mashed potatoes in a medium-sized bowl. Add the broccoli, mustard, garlic, scallions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, if necessary, and pepper. Mix until everything is thoroughly blended, then taste to see if it needs more salt.
  3. Use your hands (wet them, if you like, for easier handling) to form the mixture into 3-inch patties–about 1/4 cup apiece.
  4. Have the ground walnuts ready and waiting on a dinner plate. Press each patty gently but firmly into the ground walnuts to coat the entire outer surface, both sides. It’s okay to coat them generously. (You might not use them all.) Chill patties very well (they can be prepared to this stage and refrigerated).
  5. Place a 10-inch skillet over medium heat and wait about a minute. Add the oil, and swirl to coat the pan. If you’d like, you can also melt in some butter.
  6. When the oil is hot enough to instantly sizzle a walnut crumb, fry the cakes (in batches, as space allows) for about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden and crisp all over. You want to heat them through (remember, they are already cooked) and get the walnuts golden and toasty, but not dark. (Wipe out the pan between batches, to sweep away any possibly overdone walnuts that might be left behind. Add more oil, as needed, per batch.) Serve hot or warm.