022 / 75 · Small bites, big entrance
Broccoli-Stem Treasure Cakes
16 small potato cakes with lemon-chive dip · Active 45 min · Cook 1 hr · Total 1 hr 50 min
Print recipe · PDFBroccoli stems become the center of the dish instead of a forgotten trimming. Cooked potato holds them in small pan-crisped cakes, with a separate cool lemon dip.
Peel the woody outside
The edible stem center is tender once its fibrous skin is removed. Weigh 150 g after peeling, then dice it small. Do not grind an unpeeled woody stalk into the mix and expect the potato to hide it.
Four modest batches beat one crowded pan
The cakes need a little space so a spatula can get beneath them. Four at a time on the stated pan base gives a repeatable route. Wiping burnt crumbs out between batches protects the last cakes from tasting scorched.
Ingredients
- 400 g/14 oz peeled potatoes, cut into 2 cm/¾ in pieces
- Water for boiling potatoes and broccoli; drain away
- 150 g/5¼ oz broccoli stem after peeling, cut into 5 mm/¼ in dice
- 30 g/1 oz onion, very finely chopped
- 1 large egg, 50 g without shell
- 30 g all-purpose flour (¼ cup)
- 30 g/1 oz Parmesan, finely grated
- 2 g fine salt (about ⅓ teaspoon), divided 1 g cakes and 1 g dip
- 0.5 g black pepper (¼ teaspoon)
- 30 ml neutral oil (2 tablespoons), divided equally across 4 batches
- 160 g plain pasteurized yogurt (about ⅔ cup)
- 15 ml lemon juice (1 tablespoon)
- 4 g washed fresh chives, finely snipped
Set out
Stovetop, Saucepan and colander, Small saucepan for broccoli, Masher and two bowls, Knife and board, Nonstick skillet with usable flat base at least 24 cm/9½ in, Scale, Broad spatula, Food thermometer, Cooling rack, Separate dip container, Refrigerator
Allergens
Milk, Egg, Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Boil potatoes in water 12–15 minutes after boiling, until very tender. Separately simmer peeled broccoli dice in water 6–8 minutes until tender. Drain both thoroughly. Mash potatoes and spread in a bowl 10 minutes to lose heat.
- Mix potato, broccoli, onion, egg, flour, Parmesan, 1 g salt and pepper. Divide the full mixture into 16 equal portions, roughly 43 g each. Shape into 5.5 cm/2¼ in cakes about 1.5–2 cm/⅝–¾ in thick. Do not taste the raw flour-and-egg mixture.
- Heat 7.5 ml oil in the skillet over medium heat. Cook 4 cakes at a time, about 4 minutes per side, until crisp outside, fully set without a wet floury seam and at least 160°F/71°C in the center. Use a thin probe from the side. Repeat 3 more batches, using 7.5 ml fresh oil each time and extending cooking if needed.
- Mix yogurt, lemon juice, chives and the remaining 1 g salt; keep the complete dip refrigerated. Serve all 16 cakes with one-sixteenth of the dip each, about 11 g. Cool cakes on the rack before chilling for later transport.
Bring it
Carry cakes hot at 140°F/60°C or above, or fully chilled at 40°F/4°C or below; the dip always stays cold. Uncontrolled cooling/packing, travel and display share a 2-hour limit, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C.
Finish at the gathering
For chilled cakes, arrange a 400°F/200°C oven and single-layer tray for 15–25 minutes until centers reach 165°F/74°C. Put the cold dip out separately with its own spoon. No frying at the host’s stove is required.
Make it yours
These work in any season and make vegetable stems visible rather than disguised. Offer the sixteen cakes as small savory bites, or use two per person as eight larger starter portions.
Ingredient labels
Parmesan and yogurt contain milk; egg and flour are included. Check actual products and substitutions for other allergens.
A useful detail
The 110-minute total allows vegetable preparation, cooking and cooling, mixing, four roughly 8-minute frying batches, and final handling. A smaller pan needs more batches; do not shorten the center-doneness stage to keep a clock.
Another way
- Replace broccoli stem with 150 g prepared cauliflower stem, peeling and cooking it until tender first.
- Use 4 g washed fresh dill in place of chives in the dip.
Keep it well
Refrigerate cakes and dip promptly in separate containers at 40°F/4°C or below. Use within 2 days or the yogurt’s earlier deadline. Keep to the Bring it handling limits, reheat cakes to 165°F/74°C and keep dip cold. Freeze promptly chilled unaccompanied cakes for up to 1 month for quality; thaw in the refrigerator.