Potato cakes with fried eggplant and a gooey center. We have made many potato cakes over time — do you remember, for example, the potato and broccoli cakes or the potato and spinach cakes? Not to mention the potato cakes with mortadella and cheese and the mushroom ones, all certainly delicious. Today I want to offer a summer version with fried eggplant, Parmesan and cheese — here are the potato cakes alla parmigiana! These indulgent potato cakes are extremely easy to make and very tasty; they can be a fancy appetizer, a side dish, or a wonderful vegetarian main course. You can prepare them in advance and enjoy them at room temperature, or assemble and bake them before sitting at the table — either way they will be delicious. Want to try them? Let’s go to the kitchen and discover how to make potato cakes with eggplant. Before you run to the stove, remember that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here), and that in this special you will find many quick eggplant recipes, all very tasty.

Do you like eggplant? Also check out:

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 6
Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn

Ingredients to make the potato cakes with eggplant

1.1 lb potatoes
to taste salt
to taste extra virgin olive oil
1 oz grated Parmesan (or Grana Padano)
1 oz breadcrumbs
1 egg (medium)
1 eggplant (large)
to taste salt
to taste sunflower oil (high-oleic, for frying)
3.5 oz mozzarella for pizza
1.25 cups tomato sauce (crushed or in chunks)
to taste salt
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste basil
to taste grated Parmesan
to taste breadcrumbs
sunflower oil (best if suitable for frying)

Tools

Pots
Bowl
Ramekins
Oven
Potato ricer

Steps to make the Potato Cakes with Eggplant

The base for these cakes is very versatile. I chose to fill them with eggplant, tomato sauce and cheese, but you can fill them as you like with different ingredients.

Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, add salt and cook for 35-40 minutes from boiling or until they are soft when pierced with a skewer. Drain them and let them cool slightly. Or, do as I do: put them in a bowl after washing, add half a glass of water and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Cook in the microwave at 750W for 20 minutes, then remove and let them cool slightly.
Peel the eggplants. Cut them into chunks, and place them in a colander,
sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of salt and wait for them to release part of their liquid. After about thirty minutes, rinse them thoroughly with clean water or under running water to remove the excess salt. Squeeze them by hand and pat them dry with a towel.
Drop them into a pot with hot sunflower oil and fry until golden. It may take up to 30 minutes; when done, lift them out with a slotted spoon, place them on a colander or a large strainer and let the excess oil drain.
Cook the tomato sauce (I used chunky tomatoes) and season with salt, then add olive oil and basil and stir.
Mash the warm potatoes with a potato ricer (no need to peel them, the skins will remain in the ricer), put everything in a bowl and add grated cheese, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and
an egg, mix to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Grease the ramekins, sprinkle them with breadcrumbs and fill them halfway with the mixture.
Fill with tomato sauce, fried eggplant,
cubes of cheese and a bit of grated Parmesan. Cover with more mixture and level well.
Drizzle a little oil, sprinkle with extra breadcrumbs and bake at 392°F for 15 minutes, just long enough to brown the cakes and melt the cheese.

Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before unmolding so the cakes don’t fall apart. After that time, invert onto a plate and the potato cakes alla parmigiana are ready to be plated, served and enjoyed.
If you wish you can prepare them a few hours in advance and reheat before serving or enjoy them at room temperature. I don’t recommend leaving them in contact with aluminum for many hours to avoid any transfer. The prepared and unmolded cakes can be stored in the fridge for 2 days, well sealed in airtight containers, and should be reheated before eating.