Herbed taro root cakes

I've never cooked with taro root before, so I had no idea what to do with this particular purchase. After perusing several recipes it appears that the possibilities are endless: soups, stir-fries, chips, you name it. But since I already had two stir-fried dishes on the menu, and I was planning to make a simple miso soup (with the dumplings that I'd tucked away in the freezer), I was looking for something a bit different. I found inspiration in an old Graham Kerr recipe. After changing a few of the ingredients, this simple little finger food is the result.
Like a lot of Kerr recipes, this variation turned out to be a really light dish. If you wanted something a tad richer you could fry them in a bit of oil instead of baking them.

Herbed taro root cakes
inspired by this recipe

1 taro root
green leeks, sliced
watercress, chopped
Thai basil, chopped
Vietnamese mint, chopped
1 small hot BC red pepper
1 egg, beaten
sea salt
flour

Preheat the oven to 450. Peel the taro root and steam until tender (approximately 40 minutes). Cut it into smallish pieces and use a hand mixed to blend it into a paste. Use a fork to stir in the leeks, herbs, and red pepper and season with sea salt. Pour in the beaten egg and stir to combine. Form the dough into balls and flatten them into little cakes (it made 15 for me). Lightly dust the cakes with some flour and place them on an oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, then continue to bake them for another 10 minutes. The cakes should be a nice golden colour.

Serve with a simple dipping sauce. I used soy sauce and a touch of mirin, but something with a little more heat would've been nice.