Potato and apple fritters with apple compôte
These apple and potato fritters with a quick apple compôte are perfect for celebrating Hanukkah. The success of this dish relies wholly on the attention you pay to the process: the grating, squeezing, gentle mixing, the right temperature for the oil and the right cooking time, nothing too taxing, but nothing can be dismissed. The additional sauce is by no means compulsory but it does work so well.
Ingredients
For the fritters
- 500g/1lb 2oz potatoes, peeled and grated
- 1 sweet apple, such as Pink Lady or similar, (100g/3½oz), grated with the skin on
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 heaped tbsp self-raising flour
- 2 large free-range eggs
- small handful parsley leaves
- generous pinch roughly ground black pepper
- vegetable oil, for frying
For the spicy apple compote
Method
Place the grated potato and apple into a colander or sieve with the shallots and mix with the salt. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Squeeze the mixture in handfuls to remove any liquid. Place into a large mixing bowl and add the remaining fritter ingredients. Mix lightly to just combine.
Heat a good amount of oil in a frying pan (it should be about 1cm/½in deep) over a medium-high heat. This heat will allow the exterior to crisp up and the interior to soften beautifully.
Place 5 dollops of the mix into the frying pan (about half the mix) and fry until golden and crispy. Flip and colour the other side, then remove to a plate with some kitchen towel. Fry the remaining mix in the same way. If your frying pan is small you may need to do this in more batches.
To make the apple chilli compote, place the chopped apple and oil in a small frying pan, and cook on a medium-low heat for about 6-8 minutes until they start to soften and loose their texture. Add the chilli flakes, honey and a pinch of salt to finish. Serve alongside the fritters.