Potato and White Bean Cakes

Tonight I wanted to make a potato and cabbage dish but wasn’t really certain which direction to go with dinner. Initially I was going to make colcannon but this didn’t feel very creative so I wanted to make something else.

When I was growing up my mother would make potato cakes from left over mashed potatoes from the prior night. Her version included eggs and was pan-fried. I decided that I would make a healthier version and that is what I did. I added white beans and tofu to increase the protein content. Additionally, I used the least amount of oil necessary to achieve a crispy exterior on the cakes. I omitted the flour my mother used to dredge the cakes in to keep them gluten free.

These cakes are nothing like my veggie burgers. They are light and tender, with a crispy exterior. My husband thought the cakes needed vital wheat gluten but that wasn’t the texture I was going for tonight. If you want a firmer cake add a few tablespoons of vital wheat gluten and breadcrumbs to the cakes. Here is what I did.

Potato and White Bean Cakes
Makes 11 cakes

Ingredients:

1 cup cannellini beans, sorted presoaked
water to cook the cannellini beans
3 large Yukon gold potatoes (approximately 1 pound), pierced several times with a knife
½ red onion, peeled and finely diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely diced
¼ - ½ water to cook the aromatics
12.3 ounces of firm organic silken tofu
juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or canola) to brown cakes

Directions:

Cook the cannellini beans in water until tender. Then drain and mash or rice the beans while still warm. Warm beans are easier to mash. Place the mashed beans into a large bowl or on a sheet pan so they begin cooling.

Microwave the Yukon gold potatoes until tender. If they aren’t organic peel the potatoes. Otherwise mash or rice the potatoes and move them to the container with the beans.

Cook the onions and garlic in the water until tender and the water has evaporated. Add the cooked aromatics to the beans and potatoes. Sprinkle the nutritional yeast on top and combine.

Put the silken tofu and lemon juice in your blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the tofu to the potatoes and bean mixture. Thoroughly combine the mixture until everything is evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Using a ½ cup measure form the potato and bean cakes and set aside on a sheet pan. If you aren’t cooking them right away cover the pan with plastic cling film and hold in the refrigerator until needed. Cold cakes tend to stay together better. You can cook them right away if you are gentle when flipping the cakes.

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet with one teaspoon of oil. I used a cast iron skillet and got a nice crisp crust on the cakes. Cook the cakes in three batches until crispy on each side and hold in a 200 degree oven until everything is ready to serve.

Nutritional information for 1 cake:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 142.75
Calories From Fat (15%) - 20.96

Total Fat - 2.25g
Saturated Fat - 0.34g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 45.88mg
Potassium - 682.39mg
Total Carbohydrates - 22.43g
Fiber - 3.62g
Sugar - 0.86g
Protein - 7.58g

Comments:

The flavor of these cakes was mild, but not boring. These potato and bean cakes would be good with many meals. We had these cakes tonight with a warm cabbage and apple slaw. It was a great combination. Both the vegans and omnivores enjoyed dinner tonight.

I will be posting the warm slaw recipe next.