Trinxat

What it really is

A Pyrenean winter dish of mashed potato and cabbage, commonly finished with pork.

Trinxat combines cooked winter cabbage and potato, chopped or mashed together and browned in a pan. It is a popular Pyrenean mountain dish, also eaten in the neighbouring Alt Urgell and Cerdanya regions. Its simple base changes little across the area, though cooks may adjust the seasoning and finishing. The potato should soften enough to bind with the cabbage; the mixture is then shaped and browned rather than served as loose boiled vegetables.

In the Andorran trinxat amb rosta recipe, cabbage is partly boiled before chopped potatoes are added. Once both are tender, they are drained and crushed. Garlic is browned in oil; the bacon is fried in that same oil, and the vegetable mixture is then shaped and browned like a thick round cake. This version is served with bacon and pieces of marinated herring. Other common versions finish with pork crackling and omit the fish, so the menu should name the kitchen’s toppings rather than treating them as mandatory.

The dish is especially associated with winter and appears on menus at traditional Andorran bordes, former farm buildings now serving local food. It can be served as a hearty side or a simple main portion. The browned exterior and soft cabbage-potato centre are its defining contrast. Because it is filling and uses a short list of ingredients, the pork garnish and cooking fat have a strong effect on the finished flavor and nutrition.

How it's served

• Hot, often shaped or browned as a thick cake.
• As a side or a simple main portion.
• With pork crackling or sausage when those are part of the recipe.

How to write it on the menu

• Say whether the kitchen includes bacon, sausage or crackling.
• Describe the potato-and-cabbage base and whether it is pan-browned.
• Check the frying fat and meat additions before making dietary claims.
• If the version includes marinated herring, name it; this is used in some Andorran versions but not every one.