Potato Oatmeal Cakes with Sea Salted Cilantro Grilled Shrimp

 

 

Like any normal day for me I wanted to create a new and exciting dish for dinner.  Usually, I create dishes that would be incorporated around ingredients used for a recipe contest.  I had just read about a potato contest that I wanted to enter.  The prize was a free trip to the Orlando Food and Wine Bloggers Convention. 

 

While sitting there munching on a tiny bowl of leftover mash from last Sunday night's dinner, I allowed my mind to work.  I thought.....how comforting not only to eat Idaho potatoes but now I get to create another great comforting Idaho potato recipe. 

I went to my frig and stood there like always, to study what ingredients I had.  I see sitting there a baggy of chopped onions, celery and peppers.  See, last night my Son was in the kitchen chopping veggies.  I asked him what he was doing since he is hardly ever in the kitchen cooking or prepping anything.  He said he was chopping veggies for breakfast in the morning.  Okay, so I figured he was going to make himself an omelet before he took off for work.  I don't know if he ever did use any of the contents, since I wasn't up when he left.  But I certainly did not see any signs of any dirty dishes or skillets hanging around either.  I am not sure about your house but in my house it is very hard to get anyone to pick up after themselves.  Anyway, what a huge advantage for me at this point.  What a huge time saver.  I don't have to chop veggies.

 

Right away I came up with the idea of making potato oatmeal cakes.  I knew I had some leftover ground oats from a previous contest that I wanted to use up.  This recipe was tasting wonder on my taste buds.  I couldn't wait to throw it together.  I remember wining second place in another potato contest using fresh lime and cilantro.  Wow, this would be a nice touch also. 

 

But wait!!!  It needed something else.  We just cant' have potato cakes thrown on a plate....No!  It had to be pretty, creative...but simple~

 

Shrimp......Yes!!!!  Ugh, I thought!!!  Frozen!!!! 

 Hey, no problem!!!!

 

 

With a little thawing in water, a little mixing, a little sautéing, I came up with the most delicious dish.

 

Now, I wonder if my Son will notice some of his chopped veggies missing?



Ingredients:

Olive oil for skillet
1/2 cup (combined) onions, celery, red bell, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 TBS butter
1/4 cup ground oats
1/2 cup water
1 tsp lime zest (reserve some for garnish) (reserve juice)
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes (I use Idaho red potatoes)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped and divided in half
1 cup seasoned panko crumbs ( I use gluten free), plus 1/4 cup
1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
sea salt
coarse black pepper
1 cup sour cream



Directions:

1.  In medium nonstick skillet add approx. 2 TBS oil.  Heat on med/high.  Add onion, celery and peppers.  Sautee until soft.  Add garlic, sautee for additional min.  Season with salt and pepper
2.  Add 1 TBS butter to skillet to melt.  Add oats and stir to slightly brown (approx. 2 mins.)
3.  Add water and stir until water is cooked out.  Add lime zest stir.  Remove from heat.
4.  In large bowl add leftover potatoes.  Stir in 1 egg, 1/2 of the cilantro and panko crumbs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mix well.
5.  Mold mixture into even size patties (approx. 8).
6.  Re-heat skillet to med/high.  Add approx. 4 TBS oil.  Add molded patties (4 at a time).  Brown approx. 4 mins each side.  Repeat process for additional patties.  Remove and cover until ready to eat.
7.  To small skillet heat 1 TBS butter and 1 TBS oil.  Add shrimp.  Sautee until turns pink.  Serve shrimp on top of potato/oat cakes.  Drizzle lime juice on top, extra lime zest and fresh cilantro.  Season with sea salt and dollop of sour cream.