Thursday Dinner

Tonight I made one of our favorite meals - Salmon-Potato Cakes over fresh spinach, with a loaf of homemade (bread machine) wheat bread. I came across the recipe over a year ago in an issue of Better Homes & Gardens and have been tweaking it ever since. The result is now a light, fluffy salmon cake that tastes wonderful over a green salad.

I was originally drawn to this recipe because it sounded delicious and so different from regular salmon patties. But I was also a bit apprehensive because salmon patties are inherently budget-friendly and this recipe wasn't. It originally called for a salmon fillet to be cooked and then flaked and mashed in with mashed potatoes. That seemed an unnecessary step - not to mention expense - to me. If I'm going to flake and mash up fresh salmon to be indistinguishable from canned salmon, why not save time and money and just use canned salmon to begin with? The potatoes called for in the original recipe were also not a cheap ingredient - it called for heat-n-serve mashed potatoes from the dairy department. I thought that instant potatoes would work just as well for 1/4 the cost and I was right. Lastly, the original recipe called for serving the cakes over lettuce and my family prefers spinach. It suggested honey-mustard salad dressing to drizzle over and, while that's OK, we've found our family prefers Kraft Tomato Bacon. With all those changes in mind, here's how I now make this dish:

Salmon-Potato Cakes

1 can salmon, drained, skin & large bones removed, flaked
2 - 3 cups cold prepared mashed potatoes (can use leftover homemade or instant from a mix)
1 egg
Garlic salt, pepper, dill, celery seed to taste
bread crumbs
oil for frying

Combine salmon, mashed potatoes, egg and seasonings and mix well. Form into patties and coat in breadcrumbs. Cook in about 1/8th inch oil in hot skillet about 3 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy. Don't over-crowd pan - cook in batches, adding more oil to pan between batches if necessary.

To serve, place 2 - 3 cakes over fresh greens and drizzle with salad dressing of your choice.

Note 1: Flavored instant mashed potatoes, such as roasted garlic or sour cream & chives, work well in this recipe. If using instant, decrease amount of water called for in directions by about 1/4 cup. But make sure the potatoes are cold and stiff - the cakes won't hold together if potatoes are hot and fluffy.

Note 2: Tonight I used leftover homemade mashed potatoes because that's what I had on hand.

Note 3: Recipe makes 10 - 14 salmon cakes, depending on size. I can serve 4 - 5 people easily with one batch.

Totals:

$2 - canned salmon
free - mashed potatoes (leftover, accounted for in another meal)
$1 - spinach - (1/2 bag, $2/ea from Aldi)
.50 - salad dressing, misc. ingredients for salmon cakes + wheat bread

$3.50 for dinner for 3, with over 1/2 loaf bread and 6 salmon cakes leftover