Mushroom Walnut Potato Cake with Thyme

I called this a cake because that’s what it would be called in Germany, ein kuchen. However, it is more like a savory flat quick bread, almost the consistency of the Italian focaccia but not as fluffy.

The great part about this recipe is the flavor combinations are endless. you can change up the nuts to almonds or cashews, use a combination of nuts or leave them out entirely. Same with the herbs, the fresh thyme can be switched out for rosemary, fresh basil ribbons or you can also use a combination.

The finished cake is very tasty served with some herbed crème fraîche or greek yogurt on the side.

• 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms of your choice, make sure they are cut into small pieces. 
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
• 1 pound small yellow potatoes
• 3 medium-sized eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 cup plus one tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup raw walnuts 
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1/3 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• Slice the mushrooms into very small pieces. 
• Heat the butter in a small frying pan. When the butter has melted, add the chopped fresh mushroom pieces and sauté until the mushrooms are soft.
• Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, pat off excess butter and set aside to cool completely. Place the frying pan back on the stove. 
• Cut the red onion into thin pieces. Add the teaspoon of vegetable or canola oil to the
• frying pan used to sauté the mushrooms and heat over a medium flame.Lo 
• When the oil is hot, add the red onion pieces and stir to coat. Fry the chopped onions, stirring occasionally until they are transparent. Remove the onions from heat and add them to the bowl with the sautéed mushrooms and set aside to cool completely. 
• Peel the potatoes* and finely grate them. To save time, alternately, instead of hand grating them, place the peeled potatoes in a food processor and pulse until they are finely grated. Do not over process otherwise they will turn into a puree.
• Place the grated potatoes in a strainer and squeeze out any excess liquid. 
• Add the grated potatoes to the cooled mushroom and onion pieces. Set aside. 
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 by 12-inch tart pan and coat with flour or as an alternative you can spread the batter on a baking sheet also greased a coated with flour. 
• In a separate small bowl, thoroughly combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt. 
• In another separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, the rest of the canola or vegetable oil, and milk. 
• Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly, then add the mushroom, onion potatoes mixture and once again, combine thoroughly. 
• Add the fresh thyme and walnuts. 
• Transfer the mixture to the greased and floured tart pan. smooth out the top. Or spread it our ton a baking sheet. If you like, sprinkle with a little more sea salt, if you have the large crystal variety on hand, use that. Add the freshly ground pepper. I also pressed some fresh thyme sprigs into the top of the batter for decoration. 
• Place the tart pan or baking sheet in the oven and bake for 4o minutes.When the cake is golden brown on top, remove from the oven and let it stand in the tart pan for 10 minutes. 
• Remove the cake in one piece and cut into strips, triangles, or squares, whatever shape you desire depending on how you would like to serve it.

*If you want to peel the potatoes ahead to save time when you are making the recipe, place them in a bowl of cold water. Make sure the potatoes are fully covered with the water. Otherwise, they may turn a very unappetizing gray or brown.