Tuna and Horseradish Fishcakes
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 02:46AM 
With summer having seemingly deserted us, my thoughts have – once again – turned to slightly more comforting, autumnal fare. For me, potatoes are to winter what cold drinks are to summer: an absolute necessity. Nothing is sure to warm you up faster than a baked potato, crisp on the outside, tender and crumbling in the centre; nor is anything more of a food ‘hug’ than a serving of creamy mashed potato. With that in mind, the potato cake, although a humble affair, encompasses the appeal of both creamy and crisp making it an absolute must on a chilly Autumnal eve. I am particularly partial to the retro combination tuna and potato and so rather embrace the use of some good quality tinned or jarred tuna steak – stored in olive oil is best. If this is a little too much of a cheat for you, you could very easily sear a fresh tuna steak, tear it into flakes and combine it with the mash. The results would be delicious, if a little slower. What is a necessity is the inclusion of freshly grated horseradish.
The horseradish root looks, to all intents and purposes, like a harmless if rather ugly, knobbly parsnip. Don’t be fooled. Behind that weathered skin (which needs serious peeling, by the way) lies some seriously powerful, delicious and fibrous root. By far the best way to eat fresh horseradish is by grating it into a bowl, pouring over a dash of oat cream, a squeeze of lemon juice and a good amount of seasoning. If you serve that with some thick, rare roast beef slices you will understand what all the fuss is about. The second best way to eat fresh horseradish is to grate it into mashed potato, add a good dollop of butter (replacement) or pouring of olive oil, season well and beat together. It is creamy, ambrosial nectar with a serious belt of glorious heat. I personally adore horseradish so the more the better as far as I am concerned (fear not, I have been conservative for the amounts in this recipe). Go with your instincts, if you love heat then add more, if not, tame it down a little. Either way, the combination of velvety mash, flaked tuna and the heat of horseradish makes for a lovely fishcake. If it is warm outside I tend to serve this with some freshly cooked beetroot, sliced into thick rounds, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive and a scattering of freshly ground black pepper. If it is wintry outside then try eating them with some homemade roasted parsnip chips and minted peas – heaven.
TUNA AND HORSERADISH FISHCAKES
Serves 4
500g/1lb 2oz potatoes – ideally Maris Piper
75g/3oz fresh horseradish
1 x 175g good quality tinned tuna
2 tsp butter replacement – Pure Sunflower Spread
1 tbsp groundnut oil
A small bunch of parsley
Peel and cut the potatoes into 2 inch pieces. Place the potatoes in a vat of salted water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until tender – around 10 – 15 minutes. You want the potatoes to be soft enough so that you can mash them without adding any oil or butter. Once cooked, drain, season well and mash until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
Peel the fresh horseradish and finely grate. Finely chop the fresh parsley. Drain the tuna and, using a fork, break up in to small flakes. Add the grated horseradish and butter replacement to the mashed potato and mix through until evenly distributed.
Add tuna and fresh parsley to the potato, season well and mix thoroughly so that the ingredients bind together. Carefully shape the mashed potato in to four cakes approximately 3 inches in diameter (it helps if your hands are very cold or lightly floured) then cover and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, heat the groundnut oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the potato cakes. Fry gently for approximately 5 minutes on each side, until each cake is golden brown and cooked through. Carefully remove from the pan and serve while hot.
