Jay & Sarah's tuna and kumara patties

We visited family in Australia when our daughter was one and they served us something similar to these as a snack. We enjoyed them so much we changed the recipe up a bit, using a kumara base rather than potato and adding a few extra flavours. We haven’t stopped making them since! They are delicious and easy to whip up when you’re in a hurry. You can even save a few in the freezer for a later date.

TUNA & KUMARA PATTIES

SERVES 4

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOK TIME: 30 minutes

• 2 large kumara, peeled and diced
• 1 x 360g can freshwater tuna, drained
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 egg
• sea salt and black pepper
• 1 cup panko or breadcrumbs or desiccated coconut, to coat (optional)
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

METHOD

1 Place the kumara in a large saucepan of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 8–10 minutes. This brings out the natural sweetness of the kumara.

2 Drain the water from the saucepan and mash the kumara. Add the tuna, spring onion and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix gently to combine.

3 Form the mixture into 10–12 palm-sized patties. If you want an extra crunch, sprinkle over some panko crumbs, breadcrumbs or desiccated coconut.

4 In a large frying pan placed over a medium heat, pan-fry the patties in the oil until the outsides are golden and the insides are heated through, about 4 minutes each side.

5 Serve the patties with a green salad or steamed veggies.