Leftover Turkey Potato Cakes (Newfoundland)

canadian-newfoundland-leftoverturkeypotatocakes Or use leftover chicken instead for a pure comfort food meal you’ll love. These crispy potato and turkey cakes may be even better than the meal that preceded them.

½ cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
4 cups potato, mashed, cold
2 cups turkey, cut to a ½-¾” dice
1 cup leftover dressing
6-8 slices bacon, cooked, crisp, chopped
Canola oil, for frying
¾ cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
leftover gravy
cranberry sauce

Boil potatoes until fork tender, mash them well without adding butter or cream. Allow to cool to room temperature or colder. Warm potatoes make the cakes more difficult to form.

Sauté the garlic and onions in the olive oil, in a small pan over medium heat. Add to a bowl with all the potatoes, turkey, dressing and bacon.

Form onto 8 equal sized balls and then pat them to about 1” thickness. dip the cakes in flour to coat them, then place them on a parchment paper covered plate or tray.

Cover the bottom of a cast iron or non-stick frying pan with Canola oil. Heat on medium for a few minutes before adding the cakes a few at a time. Don't crowd the pan or it will make it more difficult to keep the cakes intact.

Let them brown very well on one side before gently flipping them over to brown for an equal amount of time on the other side. 4-5 minutes should do it but the browner the better and the easier they will be to flip.

Transfer to a cookie sheet if making multiple batches and hold in a 200°F (95°C) oven until all of the cakes are fried. Serve immediately with leftover gravy and cranberry sauce.

Makes 4 servings.