HAM, PEA & POLENTA CAKES

Ham, pea & polenta cakes image

The gluten-free golden yellow cornmeal creates a crispy coating to cover a ham, pea, potato and mint filling- perfect with salad for lunch

Provided by Lucy O'Reilly

Time 45m

Number Of Ingredients 12

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Ingredients

140g sweet potato , peeled and chopped
140g floury potato (such as King Edward), peeled and chopped
100g frozen pea , defrosted
100g shredded ham hock
small handful mint leaves, chopped
zest 1 lemon
3 spring onions , thinly sliced
6 tbsp fine polenta or 4 tbsp gluten-free plain flour
pinch of cayenne pepper , plus a pinch to serve
3 eggs and 1 egg white
2 tbsp vegetable oil
crème fraîche and dressed rocket leaves, to serve

Steps:

Put the sweet and white potatoes into a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-15 mins or until really tender. Drain well and mash, check the seasoning, then set aside to cool.
Tip the mash into a large bowl along with the peas, ham hock, mint, zest, spring onions, 3 tbsp polenta (or 2 tbsp flour), the cayenne pepper and some seasoning. Whisk the egg white and add it, too. Mix well.
Form the mixture into 6 cakes. Tip the remaining 3 tbsp polenta onto a plate and roll the cakes in it to coat. The mix will be quite wet at this stage, but the extra polenta will help to keep them together during cooking. Cover and chill for 15 min.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the cakes and fry for 3-4 mins each side or until golden and warmed through. Meanwhile, poach the remaining 3 eggs in a pan of barely simmering water for about 3 mins until the yolk is soft and the white is set.
Put the cakes on plates with a spoonful of crème fraîche, top with the poached eggs and a little cayenne. Serve with dressed rocket.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 540 calories, Fat 24 grams fat, SaturatedFat 6 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 54 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 10 grams sugar, Fiber 6 grams fiber, Protein 27 grams protein, Sodium 1.9 milligram of sodium