Anyone for Leftovers?

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." [Calvin Trillin]

Do you ever have that inner struggle? You know the one "I've made too much of this or that . . . I know I shouldn't throw it out . . . but what on earth can I do with it?"

In this day and age it's certainly in every Domestic Goddess' interest to be as thrifty as possible. So here are two ideas I have stumbled across that are super delicious and with a couple of key ingredients hiding in the pantry you can pull them off at a moment's notice.

From Food

SALMON FISH CAKES (Made with Leftover Mashed Potato)
Ingredients:

• 500 g cold mashed potato


• 418 g tinned salmon, preferably organic


• pinch cayenne pepper


• grated zest of 1/2 lemon


• salt and pepper


• 1 egg


• for coating and frying:


• 2 eggs


• 100 g fresh bread crumbs


• 50 g unsalted butter


• 2 tablespoons Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:
1.In a large bowl, and preferably with your hands, mix together all the fishcake ingredients.
2.Cover a baking sheet with clingfilm, plunge your hands back into the mixture and form fat, palm-sized patties. Place these on the baking sheet and stand in the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes to an hour – or considerably longer if that helps.
3.Beat the eggs in a shallow soup bowl and sprinkle the bread crumbs onto a dinner plate. One by one, dip the fishcakes into the beaten egg and then into the bread crumbs, sprinkling and dredging over as you go to help coat them. When you’re all done, put the butter and oil in a large frying pan, heat till it begins to fizzle and then fry the fishcakes on each side until the crusts are golden, and speckled brown in parts, and the soothing centres are warmed through.

(Serves 3)

I use tinned salmon here because I think, strangely enough, that’s how they taste best (if it’s good enough for Marguerite Costa, it’s good enough for me) and it means you can have the wherewithal for these about the place at all times. I do have to warn, though, that, the unfried mixture smells absolutely vile. Just hold on to the thought that, once cooked, it tastes wonderful.

Download recipe.

Source: Nigella Lawson