When the end of the month falls in the middle of the school holidays there is only two options… You can drag all four kids to the supermarket, or you can scrounge and scrimp and make do until you can find a spare hour to shop on your own.
And because I’d rather have all my toe nails removed with pliers than take all four kids to do the big monthly grocery shop, I’m going with the second option, and attempting to use up every last food item we have before I give in and do the shopping.
That means I have spent a fair bit of time in the kitchen over the past few days, because while we have plenty of food, it is mostly not of the ‘quick and easy’ variety. It’s more of the ‘make it from scratch’ variety. But that’s ok… I’m up for the challenge!
Challenge number one…
“What’s for lunch Mum??”
Um… er… well… We have potatoes and if you follow me on instagram you’ll know that we also have leeks and eggs… homegrown leeks and eggs, and plenty of herbs. So leek and potato cakes it is.
Ok so this lunch took a little longer than sandwiches or our staple, bread and dip, but I roped the kids in to help which at least kept them occupied.
Noah LOVES to push the button on the food processor and watch it whiz around. And apart from the setting up and emptying of the food processor, the rest of it was pretty much done by the kids. There was even enough eggs so that all of the big kids got to crack one.
We were a tad overzealous and filled our muffin pan a little too full so they took a while to cook, but they made a great lunch and I’m pretty sure it was quicker to make these leek and potato cakes from scratch, than get all four kids in and out of the car, to the shops, and back again, and certainly more fun!
- 6 medium sized potatoes – grated
- 1 leek – finely chopped
- herbs – mint, thyme, sage and chives – finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat your oven to 180 C and grease a muffin pan well.
- Use the food processor or finely chops the leek, herbs and garlic.
- Grate the potatoes and combine with the leek and herbs in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs and cheese and mix well.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan, filling each space half to 3/4 full.
- Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes or until the top is golden and crispy.
Kathy says
Ooooooo, they look so yummeh. Might have to give them a try here!
Kate says
They look so good! I might try them with sweet potato :-) Toasty cheese sandwiches get a bit same-same every day
Debs says
Ooh, yummy. These would go down well at my house I think! Pinned to remember :)
Jo Weenink says
Hello love your blog and love these mini cakes, made them for my boys and dad included they gobbled them up! Thought they also might be delicious with some fennel seeds included and would make a nice side for fish.
Thanks for the idea, with love from the UK x
lise says
Can I freeze the leeks and potatoes cakes?
katepickle says
I’ve not tried freezing them but I can’t see why you couldn’t freeze cooked ones. Let me know if you try it!
Dot says
Yes you can. I make these frequently, although a slightly different recipe. I cook the potatoes and mash them. I gently fry the leeks in a little butter. I mix them together with some herbs, sometimes don’t bother with cheese. Add a beaten egg or some milk I just make them into patties, not in muffin pans, although that’s a good idea I might try next time. I freeze them after moulding them into patties and fry them when needed after defrosting them slightly. Sometimes I put them in the oven instead, straight out of the freezer, although they take longer to heat up that way. Use your imagination, there are so many versions – onions instead of leeks, sweet potatoes, just potatoes and cheese. Cook them right away or freeze them. Cook them in the oven or in the frypan or toaster oven.