Eat like a girl: smoked salmon with potato pancakes and cucumber relish

Smoked salmon accompanies these cakes, which is a wonderful breakfast fish. My favourite salmon comes from East Cork, where artisan smoker Frank Hederman produces the most wonderful fish smoked over beech wood. Cucumber pickle is its perfect side dish, with just a touch of sugar. Serves 2

200g smoked salmon, thinly sliced For the cucumber relish

240ml cider vinegar

200g caster sugar

1 tsp salt

2 cucumbers, sliced as finely as you can

For the pancakes

25g unsalted butter, melted, plus more to fry

30g plain flour, sifted, plus more to dust

2 spring onions, shredded

450g warm mashed potatoes (with no butter or milk added)

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 egg

1 tsp light oil, such as sunflower

For the relish, heat the vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Allow to cool. Pour over the cucumbers and leave overnight in the fridge (or for at least five hours). To make the pancakes, add the melted butter, flour and spring onions to the mashed potato with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Stir with a wooden spoon, adding the egg until it forms a dough. Knead lightly on a floured work surface then roll until about 5mm thick.

Traditionally, the dough is rolled into a circle and cut into triangles, but you can cut it into circles with a scone cutter or the top of a glass if you prefer. Fry the pancakes in the oil and a little more butter for a couple of minutes on each side, until brown. Serve with the smoked salmon and cucumber relish.

Recipe from Comfort and Spicey by Niamh Shields (Quadrille, £14.99)