Bacon Floddies
The lowly potato has been taken unto the bosom of so many nations. Who would have thought that when Sir Isaac Newton brought the potato back from the Holy Land it would have proven the cornerstone of our diet? (this actually happened, I read it in a book about history ‘n’ stuff) As soon as we were convinced they weren’t poisonous we went on to discover just how versatile potatoes truly were; creating chips, mash and other delicacies. But it was the potato cake that ultimately united the world. Enjoyed on every continent of our Earth, they might be different shapes, sizes and flavours but they all contain that same key ingredient… cake! (uh no, make that potato)
Enough waffle, this version of an English potato cake comes from Gateshead and Durham in the Northeast of the country. Bacon Floddies are a traditional breakfast course said to have been a staple of the ‘navvies’ working 
on the northern canals in the 19th century, a tale leading to them being otherwise know as Canal Floddies. A hearty start to the day for labourers and the big-boned alike, they would be served with rashers of back bacon and good butcher’s bangers. An interesting story, if not a little fanciful, is that the navvies would cook these up for themselves on their shovels over an open fire. Undoubtedly a romantic image, but I’m having difficulty seeing hardened canal workers leaving home with empty stomachs and knocking up potato cakes on frosty mornings. Isn’t that what wives are for? 
Floddies belong to the Swiss rösti/hash brown school of potato cakes, using grated potatoes rather than mashed, although the addition of flour make them a little heavier than a rösti. But I can see these babies coming to the rescue on a hungover Sunday morning. Here’s the forme…
- For Bacon Floddies
- 350g coarsely grated potatoes
- 175g streaky bacon
- 1 large onion
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 50g self-raising flour
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped chervil
- Salt & black pepper
Chop the streaky bacon into small chunks and dry-fry in a skillet until they take on a bit of colour and some of the fat is rendered. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Finely chop the onion and fry in the bacon fat with a little extra rapeseed or groundnut oil for 5 minutes until tender, then drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool.
Wrap the grated potatoes in a cloth or tea towel and squeeze as much liquid out as you can. Put them in a bowl and add the fried onions, streaky bacon, flour, chopped herbs and plenty of seasoning. Mix thoroughly before stirring in the beaten egg.
The Floddie mix can then be spooned into a hot, oiled skillet, pressed flat into little ‘pancakes’ and fried for about 3 minutes on each side until the potato is cooked through. However, I made huge, inch-thick monsters by spooning the batter into a large pastry ring, browning on each side and then transferring to a 200°C oven for 10 minutes, covering them with foil to prevent them browning any further.
A slightly over-generous portion perhaps, but hey, I’ve got a reputation to maintain!
GDave
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GDave,
That’s a really good post, I love to see variations on the humble spud cake and for me it shows how, over time, so called “peasant food” turned into a staple diet for the working class and then subsequently “tarted up” by the likes of me for the restaurant table!
You can’t beat a bit of stodge now and then. This is proper English food. Well batted sir.
Miles
Comment by Miles − on Jun 27, 2009 at 10:49 pm
GDave,
I’ll take one for lunch please…. and a spoon of my smoked garlic mayonnaise. That’s settled then, you’re doing breakfast in our soup kitchen. I’ve had a bowl of Melissa’s toasted brown rice porridge to kick start Sunday so we’ll have to have a cauldron of that bubbling away as well…. whether we’ll make any money with this business venture is debatable, but we’ll have a great time and probably appear on an album cover one day
Cid
Comment by Cid − on Jun 28, 2009 at 11:03 am
Miles,
Great comment, peasant food has to sum it up. Stodge is an absolute must from time-to-time. I’m not quite ready to give up chefs’ “tarted up” versions just yet though.
GDave
Comment by greedydave − on Jun 28, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Cid,
Oh God, what have I done? My next food post was going to be breakfast-related too. Looks like I’m stuck on the breakfast section in the soup kitchen. But then, you are the chief pasta maker!
GDave
Comment by greedydave − on Jun 28, 2009 at 9:39 pm
GDave,
By the time I’ve trimmed and styled my pasta on the rack and am satisfied with the colour…. it’ll be time to manufacture my first edible wig which will double up as a method for eco packaging. All we need now is a willing volunteer to wear it, preferably someone with an aversion to hair spray…. one of it’s many advantages is there’s no need for sun cream either
Available in pink, green and blonde for the moment….. wholemeal, walnut brunette is still very much a prototype 
Cid
p.s. I’m looking forward to the next breakfast.
Comment by Cid − on Jun 29, 2009 at 5:54 pm
GDave,
Aaahh, wonderful post! This breakfast looks amazing. I’ll have to teach you to sub out the regular flour for a mixture of buckwheat, sorghum and potato starch, but other than that, it sounds (and looks) perfect. Great story to accompany your post!
I agree, Cid. He’s hired. And of course, we’ll let him play back-up on the Soup Siren’s first album. It won’t be long before Miles will have us listed on his top 10 money-maker list. I have faith.
And to hear that the lowly potato is on the road to global domination is quite exciting. Being a non-wheat eater, potatoes are regular fare for me. Your bacon floddie looks delicious. Where do you Brits come up with these catchy names? I love that — I learn so much from all of you.
Now — Cid, I’d like to order a walnut brunette wig, with a few golden honey highlights. Sweet.
Melissa
Comment by Melissa − on Jun 30, 2009 at 2:13 am
Melissa,
I knew you’d come to the rescue…. are we talking waist length tresses or a saucy French bob?
GDave,
Sorry to say Melissa gets first pick and has opted for the natural look… which leaves you and Miles with the pink and green. Do you want GHD straight or ringlets?
Cid
Comment by Cid − on Jun 30, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Melissa,
I’m not 100% convinced that the flour is necessary at all, but I’m game for exploring the non-glutinous varieties. Watch out for the names of these dishes, they just get better and better!
I think Cid and yourself have plans for me (and Miles) that I’m not fully behind. Although I don’t use hairspray I’m not sure a full tagliatelle wig is quite me. Besides, I’ve always thought that the natural highlights in my hair bring out my eyes… or something.
GDave
PS. GHD, straight, ringlets? This is still English we’re talking here, isn’t it?
Comment by greedydave − on Jun 30, 2009 at 10:27 pm