Pumpkin with diced, fried potatoes and curry, all wrapped up in a fritter batter!
I love coming back to fritters. I confess that I’ve made fritters several times in the past and when I do I always think, “Why don’t I make these more often?” Then I sort of forget and take a while to come back and make them again. Blueberry Fritters were my last fritter adventure and they were a big hit in this house.
This time, what with pumpkins on the brain I changed up the blueberry fritter recipe to become a pumpkin fritter recipe. Diced potatoes get a quick fry on the stove top and then are added to the fritter batter. Pumpkin gives sweetness and lovely color, and a hefty dose of curry adds a complimentary savory note.
The only trick with fritters is getting the oil to magic temperature where the fritters brown up quickly, but not so quickly that the middle stays raw.
I had the best results with the oil heated to about 330° F. This will be easy to check if you have a deep fryer, but armed with a thermometer you can easily manage it in a pan. The batter should also be thin, like pancake batter. It will spread better once it hits the oil which allows the insides to cook through quickly.
For my family these fritters became our impromptu lunch. They would also make a welcome appetizer, or go nicely on the side of chicken or vegetable main dish. Fritter away!
Ingredients
- 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 6 tablespoons canola oil (see below)
- 3 cups canola oil, for frying
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2-1/2 teaspoons curry powder, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup pure pumpkin purée
- 2 teaspoons dried chopped onion
- For the dipping sauce:
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
In a medium bowl, toss the diced potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the potatoes to the pan. Sauté the potatoes for about 15 minutes until they are browned. (Periodically while sautéing, add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan to keep the potatoes from sticking.)
Once the potatoes are browned, add in 1/2 c. water and cover pan. Allow the potatoes to steam for 2-3 minutes until they're tender. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the potatoes to cool a bit.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, 2 teaspoons of the curry powder and the remaining teaspoon of salt.
In a separate small bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, dried onion and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
With the mixer running on low, slowly add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixer bowl. When the batter is combined and smooth, stir in the cooked potatoes.
Place a cooling rack lined with paper towels near the cooking area. Have a large, metal slotted spoon ready.
Pour vegetable oil in a large frying pan to a depth of about 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat, until a bit of batter dropped in the oil bubbles and cooks. I found the ideal temperature to be about 330° F.
Gently drop a tablespoon-sized portion into the heated oil and fry the fritter until it's golden brown, turning it often with slotted spoon to brown it on all sides: about 2-3 minutes. (The batter should spread enough in the oil to allow the fritter to cook through. Check the first few you do after they’re drained: if they’re raw in the middle, then thin the rest of the batter with a little milk.)
Once the fritters have browned, remove them from the oil with the slotted spoon to the paper towel-lined rack. Repeat with the remaining batter.
To make the dipping sauce, combine the sour cream, honey and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder in a small bowl. Serve it with the warm fritters.
Makes about 20 fritters.
Recipe Notes
Watching you on fox44! Wish I was a taste tester with Amanda and you!
Yes, I wish I could have teleported some of the food to you! Thank you so much for checking out my segment with Amanda and my site!