THESE golden, crispy potato fritters are perfectly tender inside and so tasty too.
Easy to make, they are great as a breakfast, side dish or appetiser.
Potatoes: Use an all-rounder or waxy potato for these as they hold their shape and have texture without turning mushy.
Onion: I like a good hit of onion in these and use a regular medium brown onion but any will work.
You can use spring onions (aka green onions/scallions), purple onions, shallots or even just chives if you want to lower the onion flavour.
Garlic: These potato fritters are still great without garlic, but they really do hit another level with it added.
I suggest a large clove, but you can just add it to your taste.
· Seasoning: Salt and pepper and plenty to bring out the best from those potatoes.
· Eggs and flour: Eggs, along with flour (plain flour / all-purpose flour) are what binds the potato fritter mixture together and helps them hold their shape.
· Oil: Just a little vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil to cook them in so they get that glorious crispy and golden exterior.
You can use more oil and shallow fry them if you prefer.
A little like latkes, this will make them super crisp all over but still with a tender middle.
· Salt and rest the potatoes: The enemy of crispy potatoes is moisture (and starch), so start by removing as much moisture and starch as you can.
Lightly salt the shredded potatoes and onions and place them in a colander over a bowl or the sink. Let them sit for 10 minutes.
· Rinse and squeeze: Rinse the potatoes to remove the excess salt and excess starch.
Transfer them to a clean tea towel or cheesecloth/muslin then twist it up and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
· Make the potato fritter mix: In a clean bowl, mix the potato and onion mixture with eggs, flour, garlic and seasoning (and any other additions you might like).
· Cook the potato fritters: Heat some oil in a large non-stick frying pan skillet over medium heat.
Take scoops of about ¼ cup of the shredded potato mixture, packed quite firmly and put them into the pan.
Use a fork to spread them out a little and neaten the edges if you need.
Cook until golden brown underneath, then flip and repeat on the other side.
Appetiser: These are great as an appetiser, though you might make them smaller so they are perfect finger food.
They are perfect served with a little sour cream or ranch dip to dip into or maybe this jalapeno relish to dollop on top.
· Loaded: Treat these crispy potato fritters like a loaded potato with all your favourite toppings.
Add cheese, chives, crispy bacon bits and sour cream.
Yum!
Variations:
Potato fritters are wonderfully versatile – you can add a whole range of other ingredients right into the mix before cooking.
· Ham or bacon for a little meaty flavour.
· Cheddar cheese for creamy, umami deliciousness.
· Corn – tinned, frozen or straight off the cob will all work.
· Other vegetables like frozen peas, shredded zucchini or shredded carrot.
Spinach is great too.
If you use zucchini, it must be added to the potatoes while they salt and rest as it also holds a lot of moisture. – Online.
