ROOTS & WINGS

10. Lilli's April's Fool Cupcakes

Honor to whom Honor is due!

These were inspired by Lilli Munster 🦇 ☕ 's reply "Re: QOTD: Monday, March 31"   to March 31st Question of the Day. I admit I had a brief "Bratlava"  moment, although these didn't give me heartburn after eating.

There was some challenge to the thing, though, as I had to prep main ingredients in a way I had never done them before. Instructions in searched recipes (German cooking portals) were contradicting, so I had to do it intuitively and keep a keen eye on the oven.

The "potato" part is, like "6. Potato Waffles" , once more out of Norwegian Cook Ina Johnsen's Kartoffelglück (Potato Heaven).

Okay, I'm the first to admit that they aren't the prettiest cupcakes you'll have ever seen but, hey!, I'm not doing them every day... and, to keep it with my story/novel FMC, Laura: better they be ugly but YUMMY than pretty but tasting SCH...

A-men I'd say.

So here my "interpretation" of your April Fool dish, Lilli Munster 🦇 ☕ . ENJOY!

And everybody, too, of course!




Serves: 9 cupcakes

Prep Time: +/– 3 hrs MY timekeeping was "distorted" by research.

Degree of Difficulty: a little tricky See above




WE NEED


CUPCAKES


550 gr / 1.25 lb mixed minced meat roughly 50/50 pork + beef.

1 stale roll 1-2 days old
1 red onion
3 garlic cloves
1 egg
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp breadcrumbs

7-10 gr / 0.25 - 0.3 oz. fresh parsley + thyme Ratio parsley - thyme, about 3:1. ALSO, I rather wanted chives as that fits better, but it was out, so I took a herb mix for soups instead.

salt
black pepper
(spicy + smoked paprika)



FROSTING NOTE: I only used 2/3 of the original recipe based on the number of egg yolks. FULL recipe would've been too much and 1/3 too little


540 gr / 1 lb + 3 oz. floury potatoes After peeling.

35 gr / 1.25 oz. butter
2 tbsp cream
2 egg yolks
salt
black pepper
fresh nutmeg




WE DO


1. Peel + halve / quarter the potatoes – if they're really BIG, they're done quicker – and cook them in salt water until done. Separate egg yolks from whites.


In the meantime,


2. Cut the roll into rough cubes and soak it in lukewarm water. Finely chop onion, garlic + herbs. If you use thyme you VERY gentle / painstaking have to pick off the needles before chopping them. So better use chives if you get 'em


3. Squeeze the water out of the roll and mix it with mince, onion, garlic, herbs. Season the mix with mustard, salt + pepper to taste. As indicated in the ingredients' list I've added 2 or 3 generous pinches of each smoked + spicy paprika, for extra Oomph. Last, mix in the bread crumbs.


Somewhere aren't HERE preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F and line a baking sheet with baking paper... as the meat will ooze fatty liquid while it bakes


4. Distribute the mince mix evenly into 9 muffin molds. You can take a mold, or individual molds, like me. Silicone's of advantage. (=> Cleaning!)


5. When the potatoes are done, drain them and immediately add the butter. That way you don't have to use an extra pot to melt it (=> Cleaning!) Then mash the potatoes as finely as you can, and whisk in cream + egg yolks. They really can be "worked" with a whisk because they're SO smooth they're almost semi-liquid Season with salt, pepper + nutmeg.


6. Fill the potato mash into a large icing bag with a large star nozzle and make "cupcake tops" (as you would with sweet icing).

7. Bake them in the oven for at least 20 minutes OR until the potato tops start to become golden brown. As every oven is different this can take longer / shorter.


Guten Hunger + Happy (BELATED!) April Fool's Day!