Potato and mushroom mini cakes, without a mold, grandma’s recipe for a tasty vegetarian autumn dish and a delicious side just like all the single-portion potato mini cakes made so far — a perfect recipe also as a starter for an autumn menu, just like the spinach mini cakes or the potato and broccoli mini cakes.

These potato and mushroom mini cakes are an easy, tasty and flavorful dish, perfect when the weather gets colder. They are made with mashed boiled potatoes, sautéed mushrooms of your preferred variety, béchamel and a few other ingredients. Basically, they are small single-portion molds with a creamy, gooey and rich center that win you over at first bite — perfect for a rustic vegetarian menu, for an informal dinner with family or friends. They’re very easy to make and suitable even for holiday days, ideal to include among the dishes of a rustic savory buffet, economical and tasty. Now let’s go to the kitchen — the recipe for our potato and mushroom mini cakes is waiting for us! As always, before running to the kitchen, if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.

Take a look:

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 8-9
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Fall

Ingredients

1.1 lb champignon mushrooms
to taste extra virgin olive oil
to taste salt
1 clove garlic
1.5 lb potatoes (boiled)
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (or Grana)
to taste parsley
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
to taste mushrooms (already cooked)
to taste black pepper
to taste extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup béchamel
10.5 oz cheese (mozzarella or provola)

Tools

Oven
Bowl
Pots
Potato masher

Steps to make Potato and Mushroom Mini Cakes

Clean the mushrooms: remove the base with the soil-stained roots, then brush them with a soft-bristled brush or with a slightly damp paper towel and finally rinse them briefly under running water and pat dry. Slice half of them and chop the other half.
Sauté the garlic in a generous splash of oil, add the mushrooms, let them soften, season with salt and add the parsley; when all the cooking liquid has evaporated, remove from the heat and discard the garlic.
Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, add salt and cook for 35–40 minutes from the boil or until a skewer pierces them easily. Do not overcook them; if anything, slightly undercook them as they will continue cooking from residual heat. Drain and let them cool gently at room temperature. Do not run them under cold water as they would break. Alternatively, do as I do: place 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 17 minutes, then remove and let cool a few minutes before mashing with a potato masher.
Chop the parsley and add it to the mashed potatoes along with the grated cheese, the pepper, 3 tablespoons of sautéed mushrooms, one egg and the breadcrumbs. Mix until you get a homogeneous, workable mixture (you may need to add more breadcrumbs) and, with lightly oiled hands, form balls of about 3.5 oz (100 g).
Shape the balls, making an indentation to hold the filling and fill them with a little of the sautéed mushrooms, some béchamel and a bit of grated cheese using a coarse grater. I used pizza mozzarella, but you can use a stronger cheese too. Do not use fior di latte or classic fresh mozzarella because they are too watery.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake in a conventional/static oven at 392°F for 15–20 minutes or until the surface has gained color. Do not overbake or they may break.
Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5–6 minutes before serving; they should be enjoyed hot and gooey.
If you need to organize in advance, you can assemble the mini cakes a few hours beforehand and keep them covered with plastic wrap in the fridge until the moment you bake and serve them.
Store any cooked leftover mini cakes in the fridge inside an airtight container and consume within 24 hours after reheating.