Smashed Potato-Cheddar Cakes with Warm Cran-Apple Sauce

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Show: 30 Minute MealsEpisode: Thanks Again

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (8)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(8)

Cook Time:
25 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
4 servings, 3 cakes each

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 25 min
Total:: 40 min

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Ingredients

3 Golden or Red Delicious apples, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup apple cider
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup prepared whole berry cranberry sauce, store bought or homemade
3 cups smashed or leftover mashed potatoes*
Water or milk, as needed to thin potatoes
2 cups grated Cheddar
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
Coarse salt and pepper
Drizzle vegetable oil
Butter pats
Paprika, to garnish, optional

Directions

Place apples, lemon juice, cider, sugar and cinnamon in a medium pot over medium high heat and cook down into a thick sauce, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cranberry sauce to warm through and combine.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Place potatoes and water or milk in a bowl and cover with plastic. Microwave 2 minutes on high to slightly reheat and loosen potatoes. Stir them up with the liquid to make them workable again. Combine cheese, scallions and nutmeg with potatoes and adjust salt and pepper.

Add a drizzle of vegetable oil and a pat of butter to your preheated skillet then score the potatoes and cheese mixture in half. Using the first half of the potatoes, make 6 (3-inch across and 1/2-inch thick) potato cakes and space them evenly around the pan. Cook the cakes until golden all over, 3 minutes per side, then remove and garnish with paprika, if using, and repeat with remaining ingredients.

Serve potato-cheddar cakes with warm cran-apple sauce for topping.

* To make fresh smashed potatoes, cook off 2 1/2 pounds of small new skin potatoes until tender and smash them up with some milk or stock and butter, salt and pepper to taste.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Smashed Potato-Cheddar Cakes with Warm Cran-Apple Sauce
Cooper Belvidere, IL 07-13-2009
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Tasted Good, But Fell Apart
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

What a mess! The first batch stuck to the pan and burned, the second completely fell apart. I also ended up putting them back... in a pot and just eating them as mashed potatoes. I think they need a binder, such as an egg or two. Something needs to be in there to stick the potatoes together. They tasted yummy, but I was so dissapointed because I wanted nice little crunchy cakes. If you're going to make these, do not follow the recipe. Sorry, Rachael.Read more
recipe Smashed Potato-Cheddar Cakes with Warm Cran-Apple Sauce
Liz Marina, CA 04-28-2009
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Good in theory
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I agree with everyone else. They were good (I skipped the sauce) but they fell apart. The cheese burns easily and makes the... potatoes stick to the pan. I ended up putting them all back in my pot and eating them as mashed potatoes. Read more
recipe Smashed Potato-Cheddar Cakes with Warm Cran-Apple Sauce
Lisa Grand Rapids, MI 12-01-2008
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A sure hit with some small modifications
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this recipe for our Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone loved it. I too, had a hard time keeping the cakes together. ... The first batch all ran together - however, they still tasted great! I experimented with the remaining potatoes by adding Italian breadcrumbs. I used just enough to firm up the "dough". I also tried using the Panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs) in the last batch of "dough" and they provided a nice outer crispy crunch to the cake. One more modification was that I added a little chili powder to the cran-apple sauce to give it a little zip. I just felt like the whole combination was a little sweet - and I tend to lean towards sweet vs. spicy. The flavors were complex, comforting cheese & potatoes, with the sweet and spicy sauce. Delicious!Read more
recipe Smashed Potato-Cheddar Cakes with Warm Cran-Apple Sauce
Amanda Atlanta, GA 11-18-2008
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Great recipe after a few tweaks
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made some changes, but kept with the overall idea. I made the mashed potatoes the night before and added the extra... ingredients she suggested at that time, while they were still warm. After about 24 hours in the fridge, I used a small ice cream scoop to dip out little balls. Because they were cold, they stayed together better when frying. After using the ice cream scoop, I also rolled them in flour, followed by egg, then coated them in the Panko crumbs. Keeping them cold and coating with the flour and egg before frying gave them perfect texture and I avoided having them fall apart like so many people complained about. I also used tongs to turn them which helped them stay together. The Cran-apple sauce is awesome just like it is, but I did use my hand mixer to make it a little smoother. My husband loves this interesting twist on mashed potatoes.Read more
recipe Smashed Potato-Cheddar Cakes with Warm Cran-Apple Sauce
Linda Bellevue, NE 12-11-2007
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Very Good
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is a great recipe for leftover mashed potatoes. I ended up serving mine like mashed potatoes as I believe I thinned out... the potatoes to much and they fell apart in the pan. Great tasting though.Read more
recipe Smashed Potato-Cheddar Cakes with Warm Cran-Apple Sauce
Samantha Danville, CA 11-30-2006
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Great Tasting but I Mad a Mess
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

These were so yummy, but fell apart completely! Maybe because there isn't any flour?? I ended up serving them like mashed... potatoes. They were absolutely delicious, though. I served them with warmed up homemade cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving and the Stuffed Meatloaf.Read more