Say hello to the ultimate snack: our irresistible crispy potato fritters! With their crispy exterior and fluffy interior, these little patties are guaranteed to make your mouth water.
A simple straightforward recipe for crispy potato fritters – nice and golden crispy on the outside, but nice and soft on the inside. Think hash browns or rosti and you get the idea. Comfort food at its best and a change from boring old fries.
Key Highlights
- Crispy potato fritters are a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as an appetizer, side dish, or light meal.
- The secret to achieving golden perfection lies in using the right technique and ingredients.
- Choosing the right type of potato is essential for creating the perfect texture and flavour.
- Adding flavour enhancers and seasonings like cayenne pepper, black pepper, and dill can take your fritters to the next level.
- The equipment needed for making crispy potato fritters includes a skillet, a grater, and a spatula.
- Creative variations, such as sweet potato fritters and zucchini fritters, offer a unique twist on the classic recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Potato Fritters Recipe
- Crispy, yet fluffy
- Full of flavour
- Can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
The great thing about these potato pancakes is how adaptable they are. Jazz them up any way you like. You could add cheese to the mixture, add fresh or dried herbs or even use sweet potato. I like to use these as a side dish or as a snack I make them and top them with a fried egg and some hot sauce – yum!
If you love these you will love my masala fries recipe too!
Ingredients
A tasty fritter is not complicated and you only need simple ingredients:
Potatoes – A good all round potato will do the job here, I tend to always use Maris Pipers or King Edward but in reality most potatoes will do the job. Maris pipers are the ultimate chip potato so they are good to get nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Egg and plain flour (or all-purpose flour) – use these to bind the shredded potato mixture and hold all the grated potato together.
Garlic – to add extra flavour
Dijon Mustard – to add flavour and a touch of zing
Butter and Oil – I like to cook my fritters in butter and oil. The oil helps to stop the butter burning but the butter also provides extra flavour and helps to give them a great golden colour. Read more about cooking with butter and oil over at Bon Appetit.
Choosing the right potatoes
Choosing the right potatoes is crucial when making potato fritters. Here are some key points to consider:
- Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes can be a delicious alternative to regular potatoes. They add a slightly sweet flavour to the fritters and can create a unique twist on the traditional recipe.
- Shredded potatoes: Shredded potatoes are commonly used in potato fritters. They provide a great texture and allow the fritters to cook evenly.
- Starch content: It’s important to choose potatoes with a medium to high starch content. This will help to create a crispy exterior and a tender interior when cooked.
- Moisture level: Excess moisture in the potatoes can lead to soggy fritters. To remove excess moisture, soak the shredded potatoes in cold water for a few minutes and then squeeze out the water using a clean tea towel or cheesecloth.
By selecting the right type of potatoes and managing their moisture level, you can ensure that your potato fritters turn out crispy and delicious.
How To Make Potato Fritters Step By Step
Peel & Grate
The first step is to peel and grate the potatoes. I grate mine using the large grate size on my box grater. I like to have some texture to my fritters. If you have a grater attachment on a food processor you could also use this.
Rinse & Drain
To get the fritters nice and crispy you need to get rid of the moisture and starch in them. They are full of it. Soggy wet potatoes will not get crisp and golden!
The way I do it is to rinse and drain the grated potato at least a few times. I like to put them in a large bowl full of water and agitate them to release their starch, then rinse and repeat. I do this until the water runs clear.
The next step is to get rid of the water. You can do this using a clean tea towel but I much prefer to use a muslin cloth. It is much thinner than a tea towel and allows you to squeeze out as much of the liquid from the potatoes as possible.
How to remove the water from the potatoes using a muslin cloth
- Lay the cloth flat
- Place the wet potatoes in the centre of the cloth
- Pull up the four corners of the cloth and twist. As you twist the cloth around the potatoes gets tighter and you squeeze out all the water and get rid of as much liquid as you can – neat trick!
Add the other ingredients – grate in the garlic, with the addition of eggs, mustard and flour. Mix until it is well incorporated and uniform.
Cook over medium heat in a hot skillet- Place a heaped spoonful into the hot butter and oil mixture. Flatten down gently with the back of the spatula. I like my fritters quite thin so they cook quickly, however don’t worry about the straggly edges – they get super crispy!
How To Serve Potato Fritters
- Serve alongside your favourite side salad for a tasty brunch
- Top with bacon and fried egg for breakfast
- Top with a poached egg
- As a side to your favourite chicken or fish dish
- Pair with spicy pumpkin and carrot soup for dinner
- Crispy potato fritters can be elevated with the addition of sour cream. This creamy condiment adds a tangy richness to the crispy exterior and fluffy interior of the fritters. Whether served as a dip or dolloped on top, sour cream complements the savoury flavours of the potatoes and spices. You could also use greek yoghurt.
- Top with fresh herbs such as dill, parsley or chives
Tips
- Rinse the potatoes well. Once the water goes clear you are good to go. Rinsing the potatoes helps to make sure they get lovely and crispy yet fluffy on the inside.
- Use a non-stick pan – you need to use a non-stick pan so these beauties don’t stick and you can’t flip them. That is not fun – trust me!
- Dont flip until the edges start to turn golden – if you flip the fritters too early, they will collapse and be ruined. Wait till the edges start to turn golden, around 3-4 minutes then gently lift them to see the underside. If they are golden, then a nice crust has formed and you can flip them without the risk of the fritters falling apart.
- Use butter AND oil to fry – I find that butter and oil is the way to go to give extra flavour and colour. You can baste the fritters while cooking to get an all over golden colour. Add the butter and oil to the pan and bring up to heat at the same time
- Don’t overcrowd the pan – cook in batches.
- Freeze the fritters for later – just wait till they have cooled and place in a freezer bag with baking paper between each fritter to stop them sticking together.
Can you prepare crispy potato fritters in advance and reheat leftovers later without losing their crispiness?
Yes, you can prepare crispy potato fritters in advance and reheat them later without losing their crispiness by using an oven or an air fryer. Reheating them in a single layer at a high temperature will help retain their crispy texture.
FAQ’s
Yes, you can make potato fritters ahead of time. After cooking, allow them to cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, place them in a preheated oven or toaster until they are heated through. Keep in mind that reheated fritters may not be as crispy as freshly cooked ones.
The best oil for frying potato fritters is one with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil or canola oil. These oils can withstand high heat without breaking down or producing a burnt taste. However, you can also use olive oil if you prefer its flavor.
To make your fritters extra crispy, ensure that the batter is not too wet by removing excess moisture from the shredded potatoes. Cook them in hot oil over medium heat until they are golden brown and crispy. Alternatively, try using an air fryer for extra crispy fritters.
Potato fritters can be made gluten-free by using alternative flours, such as rice flour, oat flour or almond flour, instead of plain wheat flour. This makes them suitable for those with gluten sensitivities or coeliac disease. It’s always important to check the labels of ingredients for potential allergens.
Try Another Recipe
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Homemade Crispy Potato Fritters
Ingredients
- 900 g grated potato
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
- 2 tsp salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Begin by peeling and grating your potatoes using a box grater or using an attachment via your food processor
- Once grated, place the potato in a bowl a rinse with cold water, agitating the potato with your hands to release excess starch
- Using a sieve, drain off the excess water and repeat until the water runs clear and is no onger cloudy
- Place the risned grated potato into the centre of a muslin cloth
- Pull each of the four corners up and twist the cloth, squeezing out the excess water. You can twist quite hard as muslin is strong and this will help you get every last bit of water out of the potato
- Add the grated potato into a bowl and add the egg, flour, salt, pepper, garlic and mustard, if using.
- Stir to combine thoroughly
- Heat a tablespoon of oil with a tablespoon of butter in a frying pan over medium heat
- Once the oil mixture foams, add a spoonful of the fritter batter (I used a 26 inch frying pan and could fit 2 fritters at a time)
- Flatten down gently with the back of the spatula
- Cook for around 3-4 minutes, basting with the oil butter mixture to get a good colour on the fritters until the edges turn golden, then flip
- Cook for another 3-4 minutes and then remove from the pan to kitchen paper to remove any excess oil
- Serve