Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1 x red beet
2 x medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
8 oz crabmeat
2 x green onions, finely sliced
3 tbsp yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
3 tbsp bread crumbs
1 x egg, beaten
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp finely chopped Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 x jalapeño pepper, stem and seeds discarded, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil spray

Directions

Roast beet in a 450°F oven for 1 1/4 hours. Reserve.

Steam potatoes over boiling water until tender to the poke of a fork.

Use a ricer or food mill to mash potatoes. In a medium glass or metal bowl, blend the potatoes with cream, butter, and season to taste with salt. Peel beet and use the fine side of a grater to grate 1 tablespoon of roasted beet. Add grated beet to potato and blend thoroughly until shocking pink. Reserve.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

To a food processor, add crab, green onion, bell pepper, bread crumbs, egg, sour cream, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, jalapeño, salt, and pepper. Pulse 3 or 4 times. If you don’t have a food processor, chop ingredients finer than indicated and blend in a bowl.

Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners. Generously spray interior of liners with oil. Spoon crab mixture into liners. Bake for 16 minutes, or until cakes are fully cooked, yet still moist. Remove cakes from tin immediately so that they do not continue to cook.

When you are ready to ice the cakes, reheat potatoes by covering the bowl with aluminum foil and placing it over a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes.

Ice cakes with mashed potatoes. Use the tines of a fork to shape icing.