Smoked Salmon Potato Cakes with Herb Crème Fraîche

Make the crème fraîche:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the crême fraîche, herbs, salt, lemon, zest and pepper to taste.
2. Set aside at room temperature while assembling and cooking the cakes.

Cakes

1. Preheat oven to 450°F / 230°C and place a cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet on the middle rack to preheat.
2. Peel and chop the potatoes. In a medium pot, cover the potatoes with water and a big pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Drain.
3. In a large bowl, mash the potatoes and set aside to cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, add the salmon, mayonnaise and lemon juice and thoroughly mix with a fork. Add pepper and a little more salt if needed. Form the mixture into 3 inch / 7,5 cm patties. (Cakes will be very soft at this point. You can either chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to firm them up, or proceed with the recipe, handling them carefully.)
4. In a wide, shallow bowl, whip a whol egg with a whisk. Put the packo in a wide, shallow plat. Dip the cake in the egg mixture, then in the panko and set aside. Repeat with the remaining cakes.
5. Pull skillet out of the oven. Coat the bottom with 2 tablespoons of oil. Place cakes in the skillet and bake for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the cakes are golden-brown and crisp.
6. Serve with herb crème fraîche and salmon slices on top!