Potato and beetroot cakes with mortadella
A friend from Italy brought us a packet of mortadella. Mortadella is ham with slices of pistachio in it, cut thinly to eat. It was only when I relocated here that I learned there was a ham like this. It is a nice and not-too-salty option perfect to eat with water crackers, breadsticks, a piece of warm bread or on its own! When I was pregnant, I avoided this like a plague together with other cured meats like parma ham. I was only aware that it is “safe” to eat while pregnant since it was cooked not raw. But in any case, I guess I will still not eat it even if I knew just to be on the safe side.
My son recently grew fondness over ham. He learned that ham tastes really good and would eat it whenever we buy him ham and cheese croissant. Before, he would simply eat the bread and cheese but leave out the ham – but not anymore! These days, I have to make sure not to give him too much since he eats it first before anything else.
So when our friend brought the mortadella, it gave me an idea to use it for my son’s snack. I wanted to make potato and beetroot cakes for him but thought that he would appreciate a couple of slices of his new-found favorite whenever he eats it! I wouldn’t recommend this for a child younger than 1-2 years old as ham is still processed meat in any case. So if your child is younger than my son, you can still make the potato and beetroot cake but leave out the mortadella – that’s my recommendation any way.
500g potatoes; peeled and boiled or steamed until soft
2 baby beetroot; peeled and boiled or steamed until soft, chopped to cubes
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp flour
2 slices mortadella, cut into thin strips
oil to grease (I used rapeseed oil for this)
freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 175 C
In a bowl, mash the boiled potatoes. Season with pepper and mix with flour.
Add the eggs and milk. Mix until well incorporated.
Grease a muffin mold by brushing just enough oil to each slot. Make sure there is much oil in each so that it is easy to remove the muffins once cooled down.
Distribute the chopped beetroot pieces in each muffin mold equally. Do the same thing with the sliced mortadella pieces.
Pour (or scoop) the potato “batter” in each muffin mold. Try to distribute equally so all muffin pieces will cook at the same time.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
After baking, let it cool before removing from the mold to avoid breaking.
Note: I didn’t add additional salt to the savory muffins since my son is still too young for that (in my opinion). It can be enjoyed by adults as well but might need some salt to truly enjoy.
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For some reason I have kept myself away from ham and bacon. Looking at your recipe I may go for it although we do not get processed ham here.
Oh I know what you mean about processed meat - it is just too high on salt and preservatives so not healthy to eat too often. But I guess moderation is the key to everything anyway and I'd be willing to let my son have a taste of it every now and then so he's not "ignorant" on these things. :)
I always thought pork was bad but reading through pages info on the Net it seems ok to eat it.
I think you always eat the unhealthy bits of pork (skin, fat) - then it is not healthy. :) But if you eat the lean parts of it, it shouldn't be too bad. But it depends on your religious affiliation as well.
Wow, so yummy and tasty, you make me hungry now. You have lots of expertise my dear, go, go ,go.I will try to cook this recipe and introduce to my siblings.I am afraid they will hire me cook again and again hehehehehe.
Thanks for the feedback. Oh, I hope they like it when you cook it. If it's for adults, you might need to season the potatoes with salt :) Or add some grated cheddar for added taste.
I do try to season it with salt. I hope I have time to cook this so that there is something I can share to my friends. Cooking does a lot if fun if the ingredients are complete.
Yeah, I don't think the grownups would appreciate the food if it's bland :) I think it's just that my son has been eating mostly bland foods that's why he still finds this yummy even without salt in it.
My sister is the one preparing for our foods and what she usually cooks are crispy fried chicken , beef stew and celery salads. the children at home seldom eat vegetables and fish. I told my sister to train her children to eat lots of vegetables mixed with beef.
I guess it depends on the household :) I mean, if the Mom is OK with her kids eating fried food and not-that-much vegetables, then it's her choice. I think it is not easy to teach kids to eat healthy if they got used to have the access to fried chicken all the time (if that's what your sister cooks all the time).
Yes, it is a good recipe for kitchen and it is easy to cook for every woman as I think. But my cousin make this curry like as I mention at home but once in a week.
Ingredients
2 tsp vegetable oil
6 fresh beetroots, scrubbed
2 garlic cloves
12 baby carrots
1 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only
50ml/2fl oz sherry vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the potato cakes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ onion, finely chopped
200g/7oz plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
50g/2oz butter, softened
2 free-range eggs
3 tbsp milk
250g/9oz mashed potato
75g/2½oz parmesan, finely grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Good quality, fresh beetroots should have their greens intact. The greens should be fresh-looking with no signs of spoilage. The beetroot should be firm, smooth, and a vibrant red-purple, not soft, wrinkled or dull in colour. Fresh beets with the greens attached can be stored for three to four days in the fridge, but beets with the greens removed can be stored in the fridge for two to four weeks. Raw beets do not freeze well since they tend to become soft on thawing. Freezing cooked beetroot is fine as it retains its flavour and texture.
I love muffins. There are all kinds of muffin recipes. It's such a fun way to eat food! :) This one is extra good because it has beetroot. Thanks for publishing.