Spiced potato and spinach patties

Inspired by the North African “maakouda”, these patties are made of mashed potatoes & spinach, flavored with garlic, cilantro, onions and spices. I tried them for the first time, inside a baguette sandwich, at a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant in the Fez medina. They are very similar to “latkes” or “aloo tikki” (gosh, I love all of them!)
Eat them in a sandwich as a filling or as an appetizer with your favorite sauce! I’ve served them with a dairy free yogurt dip topped with sumac

Serves 6
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Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes (about 5 medium), thoroughly washed
1 cup chopped spinach
2 tbsp corn starch
2 scallions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoons cumin
1 tbsp ras al hanout
1 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
Olive oil 1 Tbsp + more for pan-frying the patties)
1 tbsp lemon juice .
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Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until they are tender. Once they are cool enough to handle, gently peel the potato skin.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil & add the minced garlic, scallions and spinach. Season with salt & pepper and sauté until the spinach are wilted.
Add the potatoes to the pot, sprinkle the ground spices, & mash with a potato masher or a fork.
Stir in the cilantro, turn off the heat & stir in the lemon juice
Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly
Stir in the corn starch & set aside to cool
Preheat a large non stick skillet while you shape the patties
Shape the mashed potatoes into small cakes
Add some oil to the skillet, place the potato cakes on to the skillet & cook them over medium heat, about 7-10 minutes, per side until crisp & golden.
Serve hot
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For the yogurt dip 2 cups unsweetened plain dairy free yogurt, whisked 1 English cucumber, grated
1 clove of garlic, minced 1/2 tsp dried mint (optional)
1 tsp sumac (optional) Salt, to taste
Sprinkle some salt on the cucumber and set aside in a bowl for 15 mins
Drain/squeeze the excess water out of the cucumber and place it back in the bowl
Add the yogurt, garlic, salt, dried mint (if using)