Trinxat — browned potato and cabbage cake with crispy bacon

Cut the peeled potatoes into chunks about 2.5–3 cm across. Cut the prepared savoy cabbage leaves into strips about 1 cm wide. Thinly slice the garlic. Have ready a 4–5 l pot and a nonstick frying pan about 28 cm in diameter, with a flat cooking surface about 24 cm in diameter.

Put the potatoes and cabbage in the pot, add all 2 l of cold water without salt and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 20–25 minutes after it comes to a boil, until both vegetables are very soft and the potatoes break apart easily under a spoon. While they cook, brown the bacon as described in the next step. Drain the vegetables in a colander, discarding all the water, and leave them for 5 minutes to steam dry; gently press the cabbage with a spoon to release excess water. Return the vegetables to the empty pot and stir over low heat for 1–2 minutes, until the surface moisture has evaporated.

While the vegetables boil, arrange half the bacon slices in a single layer in the dry frying pan. Cook over medium heat for about 6–8 minutes, turning, until browned and crisp. Transfer to a plate and cook the remaining slices in the same way. Leave all the rendered fat in the pan; you will use it for the vegetables. The bacon is already cooked and ready to eat; this step makes it crisp.

Roughly mash the dried vegetables with a potato masher, leaving small potato pieces and visible cabbage strips. Add the first 10 g of olive oil and the garlic to the pan containing the bacon fat. Heat over low heat for 30–45 seconds, until the garlic smells fragrant and starts to turn lightly golden. Add all the potato-cabbage mixture and stir for 2–3 minutes, mixing in the garlic and all the fat. Season with black pepper and, after tasting, as much salt as needed from the measured allowance of up to 4 g.

Level the mixture and press it down with a spatula on the flat base of the pan, making a cake about 24 cm in diameter and about 2.5–3 cm thick. Cook over medium or slightly lower heat for 8–10 minutes without stirring, until the underside forms a golden-brown crust and can be loosened with a spatula. Reduce the heat if it browns too quickly. Before turning, the mixture should have absorbed the visible fat so that no loose pool remains in the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat. Cover it with a flat heatproof plate at least 30 cm in diameter, hold the plate and pan firmly together, then turn them over in one movement. The cake will be on the plate with its browned side facing up. Add the remaining 10 g of olive oil to the empty pan and carefully slide the whole cake back in, keeping the browned side facing up. If it cracks, slide in all the pieces and gently press them together. Return the pan to medium heat and cook for 8–10 minutes, until the second side is golden brown.

Transfer the finished cake to a large plate or board. Arrange all the crispy bacon slices on top and cut into four servings. Serve immediately, while both sides are browned and the center is hot and pleasantly chunky.