Happy New Year

Resolutions are an odd thing.  On one hand, it's great that once a year we take stock of where our life is and what we want to change in the year ahead, on the other, we too often resolve unrealistically or beat ourselves up for not following through.  And why should one date, January 1, be the sole catalyst for resolve, resolutions, and our impetus to change?  Shouldn't we regularly take stock of our lives, our relationships, our health?  I decided this year that my resolutions focus on doing things I already do... perhaps a bit better or more often, but the same things, just improved and with more mindfulness.  This year's resolution is thus to cook a new recipe each week, something I already do. But I'm planning to approach it differently--to dust off rarely used cookbooks for inspiration and try new ingredients and types of cuisines.  


To start off the new year, I made these potato and kale cakes last week.  I'm always happy to find recipes that find unique ways to use greens because greens are one of those seasonal ingredients that can quickly bore even the most creative chef.  The January issue of Bon Appetit has a really nice selection of interesting recipes with greens and I look forward to trying a selection of them in the upcoming weeks.  


These potato cakes were delicious, and I could have eaten the sauce by the spoonful.  The sauce also doubled as a condiment for lamb burgers later in the week, it's highly addictive.  While the recipe takes a while, none of it was overly fussy or difficult and I multitasked, making a lentil soup at the same time.  If they were made with leftover mashed potatoes, the recipe would take less than 30 minutes to pull together.  I served the cakes with the soup, but they would also be delicious with a green salad.

Potato and Kale Cakes with Rouille (from epicurious.com)

Rouille: 
1/2 cup mayonnaise  
1 tablespoon olive oil  
2 garlic cloves, pressed  
2 teaspoons tomato paste  
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika  
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Cakes: 
1 1/2 pounds unpeeled russet potatoes, scrubbed, cut into 1-inch cubes  
1/4 cup whole milk  
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter  
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided  
3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided  
1 cup chopped onion  [I used 1 onion]
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped  
1/2 pound kale, center rib and stem cut from each leaf, leaves coarsely chopped  [I used 1 bunch]
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme  
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For rouille:
Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl. Season rouille to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

For cakes:
Cook potatoes in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain; return potatoes to same saucepan. Add milk and butter. Mash potatoes (with peel) until smooth. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer 3 cups mashed potatoes to large bowl and cool (reserve remaining potatoes for another use) [note:  I used all of the mashed potatoes and did not measure out three cups.]

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in large deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add kale and thyme. Toss until kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Add kale mixture, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg to potatoes; blend. Cool potato mixture 30 minutes [I was impatient and cooled a bit less, perhaps 15 minutes]. 

Shape potato mixture by 1/4 cupfuls into 1/2-inch-thick patties. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet.  Can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
 

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cakes and cook, without moving, until cakes are brown and crispy on bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over. Cook until brown on bottom, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Transfer to plates. Top each cake with dollop of rouille.