Potato-Black Bean Cakes with Tropical Dressing Over Greens

This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.

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Ingredients:

Potato-Black bean cakes:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. minced seeded serrano chile or jalapeno chile
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup (2% ) reduced-fat milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 large egg white
2 cups shredded peeled baking potato
cooking spray

Dressing:

1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. white rum or water
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp chopped pecans, toasted
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

6 cups gourmet salad greens

Instructions:

To prepare potato cakes:

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of onion, the chile and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes, then combine the onion mixture, milk, salt, beans, and egg white in a food processor, and process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl once, then stir in the potato.

Place the skillet coated with some cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Spoon 1 Tbsp. of potato mixture per cake into the pan, spreading each to form a 2″ circle. Cook for 2 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Carefully turn the cakes over and cook for 2 minutes on the other side. Repeat the procedure with all of the potato mixture. Keep the cakes warm.

To prepare dressing:

Combine the pineapple juice and the next 4 ingredients (pineapple juice through lime juice) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the pecans and bacon.

Arrange 1 cup of the salad greens on each of the 6 plates, and arrange 4 potato cakes around the greens. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the warm dressing over each serving.

Yields 6 servings.

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, December 1999.