There is a time in everybody’s life, when you reach certain age, when you want to do it just like your mom used to do it. And it is an adventure trying to recreate those old recipes. That’s what I found out when I made, for the very first time, tortas de papa (potato cakes) Her tortas de papa not only tasted great, but they also looked great. They were perfect golden circles while mine were odd shapes that I almost burnt. The taste was very good, though, almost like the ones my mom used to make. How did she do it?
For this recipe you will need:
- 1 lb potatoes
- ½ cup queso añejo or queso fresco grated
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup flour
- vegetable oil
- spices (I used oregano, parsley and cumin)
- salt and pepper
Preparation:
Print this recipe
- Peel potatoes, cut in cubes and boil them in water until soft.
- Drain and mash them lightly. Let them cool for 10 minutes.
- Add cheese, eggs, flour and salt and pepper to taste.
- Mashed until all the ingredients are mixed and you have a manageable paste.
- In a large skillet heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil. It will be hot enough when you drop into it a little bit of the mixture and it bubbles.
- With a tablespoon take some of the mixture and carefully drop it in the oil. With the same spoon flatten it to form a round, flat cake.
- Let it fry for about 5 minutes or until it turns light brown and flip it over. Let the other side cook the same way.
- Remove from oil and place on a paper towel that’ll absorb the extra oil.
- Serve as a side dish.
I guess I need years and years of experience to make perfectly round tortas de papa like my mom’s. Until then, I will have to settle with these other weird shapes.
¡Buen provecho!
17 Replies
Hey Ben…These sound terrific, as usual. My mother and grandmother made something very similar with left over mashed potatoes. A bit of egg, and I think a light dusting of flour and then into the fry pan. They fried everything. I like the idea of cheese in yours. Yum…
Posted on December 6th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
They’re not perfectly round….but they’re perfectly browned! I could never make those as perfect as you did.
I have a question about queso fresco for you, because I’ve never worked with it before. What is the flavor and texture of it? I think next time I’m at the store, I’ll buy some.
Posted on December 7th, 2007 at 12:26 am
Hey!. I remember those ones, my mother and grandma used to cook it. Nice ones by the way
Posted on December 7th, 2007 at 5:44 am
Yum! I love potatoes cooked in any shape, way or form. These look great and I think I shall include them on my next brunch menu.
Posted on December 7th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Thanks for dropping by. I love Mexican food, especially salsa with those chips. Yummy!
Fruity
Posted on December 7th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
And the outside gets crispy right?
Posted on December 7th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Sounds great. I’m planning to try these soon. It would be great if you could give some indicate of servings/yield in your recipes though! Thanks a lot.
Posted on December 8th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
We should write a book about our mom’s and grandma’s recipes. It’d be a success!
Posted on December 8th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Awww! Thanks for the compliment. You will be my guest of honor next time I make them
Queso fresco is soft, moist and crumbly. The flavor is a little bit strong for some people, not as strong as cotija, but it is perfect for enchiladas and tostadas. If you cook it it is not supposed to melt, that’s the cheese they use to stuff peppers (chiles rellenos) with. The one that is sold in the US is a little bit different than the Mexican version, it has a more settle taste. Let me know if you make anything with it. It is one of my favorite cheeses!
Posted on December 8th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Thanks, I still think my mom’s were perfect
Posted on December 8th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
I agree, potatoes are great in any shape way or form. What would we do without them?
Posted on December 8th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Hi Fruity,
Thanks to you too for stopping by. I love salsa too, there are many kinds of salsa and I will be posting some of them here. You are welcomed to visit any time you want. I love your blog, btw
Posted on December 8th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Yes, the outside gets crispy and the inside remains soft and cheesy
It is a great dish.
Posted on December 8th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Allison, you are right. That is something I always forget when writing my recipes. Thanks for the tip, I will keep a post it next to my screen with it.
This recipe makes 6 tortas de papa if you use one and a half tablespoons to measure each one. Of course you can make them bigger or smaller.
Thanks for stopping by and for the tip
Posted on December 8th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
Thanks for the info, Ben.
Posted on December 9th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Ben! I’m right there with you! I loved my Memaw’s potato cakes!
She always used leftover mashed potatoes, and added a little finely chopped onion, and maybe an egg. I never actually witnessed her making them.
Like you, I have tried and tried to make these tasty treats like she did, but my memory says, ‘hers were better.’
I want to figure out how to get a crispy texture on the outside and a creamy texture on the inside.
What if we browned them in a fry pan with a little butter then finished them in the oven? It wouldn’t be exactly how our Moms did it, but it just might work.
Just think, years from now, our kids will be posting about our recipes.
Posted on December 16th, 2007 at 10:38 am
I loved my mothers tortas de papa, I have tried making them using many kinds of potaoes and found the small red ones work best, they bind together better, also I have made them with queso fresco and chihuahua cheese (I’m from Chicago and the cheese is made here) they are both good. I like my mom make them as the main course, make a sauce topping with tomato’s, onions, garlic and a pinch of Oregano. Muy SABROSO.
Posted on October 23rd, 2008 at 4:04 pm
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