Little Cakes of Leeks and Potatoes - potatoes

Method

• Peel the potatoes, then boil them in deep, salted water.
• Trim and rinse the leeks, discarding the dark outer leaves, and slice them thinly.
• Melt the butter in a shallow pan and cook the leeks in it over low heat, stirring from time to time, until they are soft and melting; they should be ready in twenty minutes or so.
• If they color they will turn bitter, so cover them with a lid or a piece of wax paper.
• Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan, then switch off the heat.
• When the potatoes are tender, drain them, put them back on the heat for a minute, covered with a lid or a kitchen towel, to dry out, then mash them with a potato masher, pouring in the warm milk as you go.
• You are after a thick mash, not a sloppy one, so stop adding milk when the consistency is thick enough to make into patties.
• Stir in the leeks and season generously.
• When the mixture is cool enough to roll, shape it into rough patties.
• Dont be tempted to make them perfectly smooth; they will be all the more interesting if they are a little rough.
• Heat some oil in a shallow pan.
• When it is hot, slide in the patties, not too close together, and let them color lightly on both sides.
• They will cook quite quickly, about three or four minutes on each side.
• Lift the patties out with a spatula and drain briefly on paper towels.