The skillet potato cake is an irresistibly tasty side dish, perfect for enriching any meal with its golden crust and tender, creamy heart. Made with simple boiled potatoes, a bit of oil, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of parsley, this dish is the ideal solution for a quick and easy dinner. Prepared without eggs and with ingredients accessible to everyone, this cake is often referred to as ‘eggless potato frittata’ or ‘boiled potato frittata’ because of its shape and cooking technique similar to a frittata, yet it retains a unique and irresistible personality. One of the great qualities of the skillet potato cake is its versatility: you can add parmesan, diced ham, melting cheese, or even vegetables – as in this potato and black cabbage cake – transforming it each time into a delicious and surprising variant; you can also make a stuffed version like this potato cake with ham and mozzarella. To achieve the perfect crust, simply cook it in a non-stick pan and gently flip it halfway through cooking with a plate or a lid. It will win over both adults and children and will be a valuable ally to create a tasty and homemade dish in just a few minutes.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 262.20 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 34.50 (g) of which sugars 1.61 (g)
- Proteins 4.07 (g)
- Fat 13.06 (g) of which saturated 1.89 (g)of which unsaturated 0.09 (g)
- Fibers 4.20 (g)
- Sodium 400.99 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 168 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for a potato cake of 8.5 inches in diameter
- 1.76 lbs potatoes
- 5 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 clove garlic
Tools
- 1 Microwave Oven
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Potato Masher
- 1 Pan non-stick 8.5 inches in diameter
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Lid plate, 8.5 inches in diameter
How to prepare the skillet potato cake
To prepare the skillet potato cake, start by boiling the whole potatoes with the skin in salted boiling water for about 40 minutes (20 minutes from the whistle if you use a pressure cooker), until they are tender. If you have a microwave, you’ll save a lot of time cooking the potatoes without water: follow the instructions you find here! Drain them, peel them, and mash them with a potato masher(1). Add 3 tablespoons of oil, about half a teaspoon of salt, and a grind of pepper (2). Finely chop the parsley and add it to the potato purée (3).
Mix thoroughly with a spoon, taste, and adjust the salt if necessary (4). In a non-stick pan of 8.5 inches in diameter, slightly fry the peeled garlic clove in 2 tablespoons of oil (5). Then remove the garlic and gently transfer the potatoes into the pan (be careful at this stage as the hot oil may splatter), compacting the surface well with the back of a spoon (6).
Let it cook over high heat for 4-5 minutes, occasionally moving the pan back and forth on the stove to see if the cake detaches from the bottom. After 5 minutes, with the help of a plate or a lid, flip the potato cake as if it were a frittata and slide it back into the pan (7), so that the colored side is facing up. Don’t worry if the potato cake breaks during this operation; you can easily compact it in the pan with a spoon (8). Let it cook for another 4-5 minutes, still moving the pan slightly so that the bottom detaches (9).
After 5 minutes, the bottom will also have taken on color. If moving the pan you see that it tends to detach, the cake is ready. Flip it again onto the serving plate and garnish with a bit of chopped parsley. Serve the skillet potato cake immediately as a side dish for fish or meat dishes.
Storage
If any is left over, you can store the cake in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
The potato cake mixture can be enriched with grated parmesan, nutmeg, spices like paprika or turmeric, or even with diced cooked ham, bacon, or previously sautéed sausage, stewed peas, sautéed mushrooms, or boiled green beans.
