Corned Beef and Potato Cakes are a delicious way to use leftover corned beef after St. Patrick’s Day (or any time of year!). Inspired by Irish boxty, these potato pancakes are made with a combination of creamy mashed potatoes and shredded raw potatoes. Mixed with tender bits of corned beef, savory spices, and pan-fried in butter, these crispy cakes are always a hit.
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What I Love About This Recipe
We love a good corned beef dinner in my house, whether I’ve made my Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage, Slow Cooker Corned Beef, or Beer Braised Corned Beef. Just as much as the dinner itself, we look forward to the leftovers. In fact, I always make sure I cook a large enough brisket to ensure we’ll have enough for a few days of recipes.
Corned Beef and Potato Cakes have become one of my family’s newer post-St. Patrick’s Day traditions. I got the inspiration for the recipe from a paperback cookbook I picked up at the grocery store titled, Irish Pub Food (Publications International, 2019). Over the past few years, I tweaked the recipe to fit our preferences, adding additional seasonings and making a few ingredient swaps.
These cakes are crispy, buttery, full of savory flavors, and can be served at any time of day, from breakfast to dinner. They’re straightforward to make, versatile, and completely satisfying.
Looking for more ways to use leftover corned beef? Check out my recipes for Reuben Sandwiches, Corned Beef Hash and Eggs, and Corned Beef Sandwiches with Cole Slaw.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Russet Potatoes. Half of the peeled potatoes will be boiled and riced, and half will be shredded raw.
- All purpose flour. Helps to bind the cakes when pan fried.
- Egg. Also serves as a binder. Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl before adding it to the potato mixture.
- Milk. I like to use buttermilk (either low fat or whole) to add a bit of tang to the potato mixture. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute whole milk or half and half.
- Onion Powder and Garlic Powder. Adds lightly sweet and savory aromatic flavors to the cakes.
- Cooked Corned Beef. Trim any fat from the meat and discard it. Cut or shred the corned beef into small bite sized chunks (about 1/4-inch).
- Scallions. Adds a mild, fresh onion flavor to the cakes. Slice the scallions thinly, using both the white and green parts.
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper. The amount of salt you add will depend on the saltiness of your corned beef. Start with a teaspoonful and adjust to taste.
- Unsalted Butter and/or Vegetable Oil. I like to pan fry the corned beef cakes in either all butter, or a combination of butter and oil for the best browning and flavor.
How to Make Corned Beef and Potato Cakes
Step 1: Prep the Potatoes
Cut half (1 pound) of the peeled and cleaned potatoes into 1 to 1-1/2 inch chunks and boil them in lightly-salted water until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the potatoes well. I like to set the colander of potatoes back over the empty warm pot for 5-10 minutes after draining them from the water.
Pass the potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. If you don’t have a potato ricer, you can also mash the potatoes by hand. You should have about 2 cups of mashed potatoes.
Grate the remaining 1 pound of potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Place the grated potatoes in a clean dish towel or double layer of cheesecloth and squeeze out (and discard) as much of their liquid as you can. You’ll end up with about 2-1/4 cups of grated potatoes.
Step 2: Assemble the Potato Pancake Batter
Add the grated potatoes to the bowl with the riced or mashed potatoes. Stir in the flour and spices (salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder), followed by the buttermilk and beaten egg.
Fold the scallions and corned beef into the potato mixture. The texture will be creamy and easy to scoop, but should not be watery.
Step 3: Fry the Corned Beef and Potato Cakes
In a large, 10-12 inch nonstick frying pan (I like to use cast iron), melt butter or (butter and oil) over medium heat, preparing to cook the cakes in batches. You’ll need about 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of fat in the pan per batch.
Scoop 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the potato and corned beef mixture directly into the pan to make cakes. I like to use a #14 Ice Cream Scoop for easy portioning.
For the best browning and crispy edges, be mindful not to crowd the pan. I can usually fit 4 cakes per batch in a 10-inch frying pan, and 5 cakes per batch in a 12-inch pan.
Use the back of the scoop to gently even out the corned beef and potato cakes to about a half an inch thickness, 2-1/2 to 3-inches wide. Lower the heat to medium low and fry the cakes for about 5 minutes per side, until golden.
Resist the temptation to fry these cakes on a higher temperature for a shorter period. Unlike an all-batter breakfast pancake, the grated potatoes in these cakes need the extra time to cook through and become tender. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, adding additional butter/oil to the pan as needed.
Corned Beef and Potato cakes are best served fresh out of the pan, while hot and crispy. If needed, you can keep them warm in a 250 degree F oven while frying the second (and third, if needed) batches. Place the fried cakes on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet to keep the cakes crispy.
Serving the Cakes
You have a couple of serving options for these Corned Beef and Potato Cakes. We like to either enjoy them for breakfast alongside fried or scrambled eggs, as an appetizer, or a light lunch or dinner.
These cakes are delicious on their own, but a dipping sauce makes them even better, especially for an appetizer or meal. I love to serve them with bowls of Creamy Horseradish Sauce and Homemade Russian Dressing on the side for my guests to choose from.
If serving Corned Beef and Potato cakes as a meal, consider pairing them with a side salad. I love a simple garden salad with greens, cucumbers, sweet cherry tomatoes, and grated or chopped hard boiled egg (also delicious with the Russian dressing linked above!).
Recipe FAQ’s
Q. My batter seems to watery, or too thick. What should I do?
A. If the batter is watery, a.) you might not have wrung out the shredded potatoes enough, b.) the cooked potatoes were too wet before ricing, or c.) the texture of your buttermilk was on the thinner side (I find this varies by brand and fat percentage).
If needed, you can add an extra tablespoon or two of flour to the mixture to help it thicken a bit.
When using whole buttermilk that is very thick, you might need to add an extra tablespoonful or two to loosen the potato mixture. The texture should be scoopable, but not so stiff and dry that you can cleanly shape the cakes by hand.
Q. Can I make this with deli corned beef instead of a leftover brisket?
A. Absolutely. Ask the deli to slice the corned beef 1/4 inch thick. Just as with home cooked corned beef, trim the deli meat of any fat, and cut or shred it into 1/4-inch pieces.
Q. Can I use leftover cooked potatoes from my corned beef dinner?
A. Yes–potatoes that have been cooked alongside a corned beef brisket add great flavor to these cakes. Peel the cooked potatoes and rice or mash them as directed. You’ll need roughly 2 cups of riced potatoes.
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Corned Beef and Potato Cakes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes , divided
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large egg , lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup buttermilk *
- 8 ounces corned beef , cut or shredded into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup thinly-sliced scallions
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or a mixture of butter and vegetable oil)
- chopped fresh parsley , for garnish
- Russian Dressing , for serving (optional), and/or
- Creamy Horseradish Sauce , for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Peel 1 pound of potatoes and cut them into 1 to 1-1/2 inch chunks. Place in a medium pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Stir in 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes well. To ensure that any excess moisture evaporates, I like to set the colander back over the warm pot (with the stove turned off), and let the potatoes sit for about 5-10 minutes.
- Use a potato ricer to rice potatoes into a large bowl, or mash well with a handheld potato masher.
- Meanwhile, peel the remaining 1 pound of potatoes and shred them on the large holes of a box grater. Place shredded potatoes in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly to wring out water.
- Add the shredded potatoes to the bowl with the riced potatoes. Stir in 1/3 cup flour, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (depending on how salty your corned beef is), and 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper.
- Add beaten egg and milk or buttermilk and stir until thoroughly combined. Fold in corned beef and scallions.**
- In a 10 to 12 inch nonstick frying pan, melt 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons butter (or butter and oil) over medium heat until foaming subsides. Using a measuring cup or cookie scoop, drop 1/3- to 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the pan per pancake. Use the back of the scoop to lightly flatten the pancakes to a thickness of 1/2-inch (about 2-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter).***
- Reduce heat to medium low and cook the cakes for about 5 minutes per side, until golden and the shredded potatoes are tender. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, melting additional butter and/or oil to the pan, as needed.
- Garnish with parsley and serve the cakes hot and crispy, with Russian dressing and/or creamy horseradish sauce on the side.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About our recipes
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
