Curried Turkey Hash Cakes

WHEN MISSISSIPPI-BORN CRAIG CLAIBORNE USED TO come to my home for Thanksgiving dinner, the first words he’d utter at the door were, “Save me a few slices of turkey breast for sandwiches and some dark meat to make my mamma’s hash.” Sometimes I think Southerners roast a turkey mainly to use the leftovers in all sorts of soups, stews, salads, hashes, casseroles, croquettes, gumbos, and Lord knows what else. Leftover turkey dishes almost constitute a cuisine in itself. Different types of curried hashes are prevalent in the Carolina Lowcountry and Louisiana and Mississippi bayous, but the idea of turning ordinary turkey hash into crusty cakes like those made with crabmeat is my own.

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled, boiled till very tender, and roughly chopped
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 3 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 large eggs, 2 beaten
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fine bread crumbs
• 4 to 5 tablespoons vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, mash the boiled potatoes to a purée using a potato masher or fork.
2. Add 4 tablespoons of butter in pieces to the mashed potatoes and beat until smooth and the butter is completely absorbed.
3. In a blender or food processor, grind the cooked turkey, onions, celery, and bell pepper to a medium texture.
4. Transfer the ground turkey mixture to the bowl with the mashed potatoes.
5. Add the beaten eggs and stir until well blended.
6. Add the heavy cream, salt, pepper, and curry powder to the bowl and beat well until the mixture is smooth.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the texture and allow the flavors to develop.
8. Shape the hash mixture into oval cakes.
9. Dust each cake evenly with flour.
10. Dip each cake in the beaten eggs.
11. Roll each cake in the bread crumbs.
12. Chill the coated cakes in the refrigerator for an additional 30 minutes.
13. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the remaining butter and vegetable oil over moderate heat.
14. Add the chilled hash cakes to the skillet and cook on both sides until golden brown and crusty, which should take about 10 minutes in total.