Sweden is not a very big potato producer. Nevertheless, potatoes are an important part of our diet and I always cook extras for different purposes. Day old boiled potatoes seem to become firmer and easier to handle than newly boiled ones. Besides, cold boiled potatoes can be used in so many ways. In Greece, they eat a lot of cheese. This country holds a top place for cheese consumption per person in all of Europe (together with France).

A Greek recipe of Patatokeftedes (potato balls) in the cookbook ‘The Original Greek Cooking’, inspired me to add Feta cheese into potato patty batter. A non-melting cheese like Feta seemed to be the right thing. I have been to Greece but I have never had Patatokeftedes, so I don’t know how these feta potato patties compares to Greek potato balls.

The ingredient which really made them taste different was real genuine feta cheese. It was produced by Kourellas S.A. company (located in Grevena, Greece).

This cheese tastes so much better than mass produced cow milk “feta”. I put the name inside quotation marks because Greece has the exclusive right to call its salty white cheese Feta. No other countries in Europe are allowed to use this name. It is a guarantee that the consumer will get a sheep’s milk cheese. Varying amounts of goats’ milk may be added, as long as the sheep’s milk make up at least 70 % of the total mixture. Outside of the European Union, cheeses sold as “feta” may be composed exclusively of cow’s milk. Can you find a Feta that tastes just as good as the real thing? I can’t.

Depending on how watery your potatoes are, you might need to add only one egg. I also had to set up two plates with flour as the potato patties were rather sticky in the beginning. This step is only necessary if the potato mixture is a little on the soft side. A firm potato dough is easier to work with and less messy.

Choose a cooking oil with high “smoke points”. Canola oil is a good choice. Feta cheese is salt. These patties were salty enough without any additional salt.

INGREDIENTS:

serves 4

* 500 grams boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes

* 1 beaten egg

* 1 tablespoon soft butter

* plenty of finely chopped parsley

* 75 grams grated semi hard Feta cheese

* several twists of the pepper mill

* flour

* frying oil

METHOD:

1. Start mixing the mashed potatoes with one beaten egg.

2. If necessary, add more than one beaten eggs.

3. Then add butter, parsley, Feta cheese and pepper.

4. Work the mixture well.

5. Shape the mixture into balls, gently flatten each potato ball a little.

6. Coat the patties in the flour.

7. Deep fry in hot oil on both sides until golden brown (do not burn the oil).

8. Drain and serve hot or warm.

Potato patties can be eaten alone as a simple vegetarian meal. If preferred, they may very well be accompanied by this fresh, light and flavorful salad on the side:

INGREDIENTS:

* 500 grams tomatoes, cut into mouthful pieces

* 2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into mouthful pieces

* 1 red onion, thinly sliced

* 200 grams semi hard Feta cheese, grated

METHOD:

1. Combine tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion in a bowl.

2. Portion on plates.

3. Sprinkle a thick generous layer of grated Feta cheese over the salad.

I left sunflower oil, salt and pepper on the table. This way, everyone can spice up their serving to their tastes. Too much oil makes the salad a bit soggy.

The nutrition label on my Feta cheese package tells me that there are 1143/kJ/276 of Calories, 16,5 g of Protein, 0,7 g of Carbohydrates and 22 g of Fat per 100 grams.

Greek goats and sheep graze freely. They eat the vegetation found on rocks, mountains, hills and plains. They move from place to place in order to find food. The unique flavors of Greek herbs and bushes are transmitted to the cheese made from their milk. Happy animals produce better milk. Better milk produces better cheese. It’s that simple.

Source: My Recipes