Derby Day, Potato Cakes and Shopping!

Saturday morning, and I'm lying in bed listening to the 'click, click' of the laptop as Matt is checking out the sports results, including those of the Derby Day races in Melbourne- when all of a sudden, my mobile phone rings, and I fling off the blanket and race to answer it.

It turned out to be Cheryl and Elisa, ringing after a champagne fuelled and profitable (for Cheryl, at least!) day at the Flemington Raceground, in Melbourne. They sounded so happy and tipsy... It made me wish that I was back there and with them. Apparently a few toasts were made to me that day, as last year, Elisa and I never made it to the races- we were having too much fun drinking champers with Cheryl and Shahran, in the pubs along Swanston Street. Hearing their voices on the phone just brought it all back, including the reminder that I'd had so much champagne I didn't notice my strapless top had fallen down! Maybe I'm glad that I'm safely on the other side of the world, and very, very sober! Nah. That's why Hollywood Tape was invented, no? *Miss you guys!*

Anyway. Instead of quaffing champagne, Matt and I head to Borough Market and do our weekly shop. Made it home without eating anything there- which is a huge change for me, at least!

We decided to have a big fryup, with smoked bacon, cherry tomatoes and fresh eggs from the Market. I decided to try making some potato pancakes that I'd read about years ago... in the very first cookbook I bought. I can't remember its title or who it's by, at the moment, as it's packed away in a box in Matt's parents' place... but I'll try to look it up..

Anyway, it turned out pretty good, and we both gobbled everything down pretty quickly- I'd thought to share the recipe with you- as it's simple and is a big change from a slice of toast, or a deep fried hashbrown.

Here's our first attempt at photographing something we'd made earlier... it was after we'd eaten breakkie, so trust me when I say it looks a lot better fresh from the pan! But you get the idea....

Potato Pancakes:
Feeds two greedy guts, with a couple extra for snacking on later

Need:
1 potato (large as your closed fist)
2 onions (bit smaller than the potato)
1 egg
salt and pepper
a couple of dessert spoons of flour

So- peel and grate the potato. Use the largest sized holes of your cheese grater, but watch your knuckles and fingers!)
Peel the papery skins off the onions and grate into the potato. What you can't grate, just roughly chop with a knife and chuck that into the mix.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the egg, and start mixing with your spoon or hand... add enough flour so that it's not too wet, but still holds together (mine was still a bit slimey).
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan. Not till smoking, but if it's not hot enough, the pancakes won't crisp.
Put a golfball sized amount in the oil and using the back of a spoon, or your fingers, press it out so that it's a thin layer. Don't worry, the oil doesn't spit.
When the edges turn a golden brown, flip it over and press down on the cake with the spatula. It'll only take a minute before that side is brown. Put it on a couple of sheets of kitchen towel to drain, then serve straightaway with relish or the rest of your fryup.

Hope you enjoy- Hilda and I are now heading out to shop..... we might even have ourselves some champagne!