Potato & Fish Balls/Cakes with Tomato Sauce by Camilla Teo


Potato & Fish Balls/Cakes with Tomato Sauce
(adapted the recipe from "Cookshelf, Potatoes" by Jenny Stacey)

Ingredients
450g (mealy) potatoes, diced...
2 smoked fish fillets, such as cod, about 225g total weight, skinned
(I used sutchi fillets)
40g butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Oil for deep-frying
Salt & pepper

Sauce:
300ml passata (a thick liquid made by cooking and straining tomatoes)
1 tbsp. tomato puree (paste)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
150ml fish stock

Method:
1. Cook the diced potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until cooked. Drained well, then add the butter to the potato and mash until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, poach the fish in boiling water for 10 minutes, turning once. Drain and mash the fish. Stir it into the potato mixture and leave to cool.
3. While the potato and fish mixture is cooling, make the sauce. Put the passata, tomato puree (paste), dill and stock in a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes until thickened.
4. Add the eggs, dill and cayenne pepper to the potato and fish mixture and beat until well mixed.
5. In a large saucepan or deep fat fryer, heat oil to 180-190 degree, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Drop dessert spoons of the potato mixture into the oil and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
6. Garnish the potato and fish balls with dill sprigs and serve with the tomato sauce.

Variation ~ Smoked fish is used for extra flavour, but white fish fillets or minced prawns (shrimp) may be used, if preferred.