Student Suppers: Courgette & Potato Fritters with Sumac Sauce

The weather this weekend may have finally turned from Summer to Autumn, but I’m still enjoying a few warmer weather ingredients in the sort of transitional dish that would be equally as well suited to a crisp glass of rose on a sunny day, or a rainy weeknight with a light glass of red wine. I love fritters and latkes in all forms: in the height of Summer I make them with Mediterranean vegetables and Indian spices, for brunch I make them with smoked salmon with a lemon and caper soured cream, and in this video I walk you through making them with Autumnal root vegetables. These are inspired by one of my favourite dishes in Jerusalem.

One of our family favourite mezze dishes for lunch with a side salad, or when people come over for an alternative Sunday lunch with homemade bread and a few other Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean inspired dishes are the Turkey and Courgette Burgers with Spring Onion and Cumin, served with a Sumac and Soured Cream Sauce. While if you own a copy of the book I’d really recommend you make them, I’ve taken the slightly tart, utterly addictive sauce and used it to top off a one person stack of courgette and potato fritters.

I mention this in my video, but for best results making fritters, I recommend a really great, really sharp grater. You might be okay with the courgettes, but you won’t get anywhere trying to grate potatoes on a blunt one. I use this one made by Cuisipro (I know it is a bit pricy, but it is really worth it). It is just something I’m testing at the moment, but if you look in the bottom of my sidebar (on the right) I’ve installed a widget of some of my favourite kitchen equipment. I’ve only included items where I could find the exact brand, exact item I use, and these are the items that I honestly could not live without.

New to my kitchen is this pot of Greek basil. I’d never actually seen it for sale before when I spied a pot in Waitrose the other day, but I’m reliably informed by my mother (the green fingers in the family, she and my dad grow the food, and then I cook it!) that it is easier to grow than regular basil from seed at home. I love how the small, tight leaves look, and that the whole pot is full of small leaves, lending it perfectly to be used as a garnish. It sure tastes like basil, but it has a slightly more herbal (as in medicinal herbal) flavour than regular basil. As well as using it here, I’ve found it is also delicious on scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil with sliced and fried spring onions and a few slices of lemon chilli. You can of course use regular basil in this recipe, or fresh coriander instead if you can’t find any Greek basil.

The measurements below make a stack of five fritters, which is the perfect lunch for one, or a light supper with a side salad and perhaps a dessert (I’d serve Gin & Tonic Jellies with Fresh Blueberries). They are easily multiplied to feed however many people, just allow about 10-15 minutes frying time per person. The sauce makes enough to serve 2, but I don’t like too much of it on my fritters. So, don’t bother doubling it if there are just two of you, but any leftovers are great served with any number of mezze dishes, or served with pitta chips with a pre-dinner drink.

Courgette & Potato Fritters with Sumac Sauce

• Author: Rachel Phipps
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 1
• Category: Dinner

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Description

These easy courgette and potato fritters with a Middle Eastern yogurt lemon sauce make a great solo veggie supper with a side salad, or are fantastic as part of a mezze spread.

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Ingredients

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For the Courgette and Potato Fritters

• 1 Small Baking Potato
• 1 Small Courgette
• Generous Pinch Sea Salt
• 1 Large Egg
• 3 tbsp Plain Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Light Olive Oil

For the Soured Cream and Sumac Sauce

• 1 tbsp Soured Cream
• 1 tbsp 0% Greek Yogurt
• 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 tsp Ground Sumac
• Zest of 1/4 Lemon
• Generous Squeeze Fresh Lemon
• Freshly Ground Sea Salt and Black Pepper

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Instructions

1. Peel the potato, and grate the potato and the courgette into a small bowl on the largest hole of your grater. Sprinkle generously with sea salt, and stir to combine. Set the grated vegetables to one side while you make the sauce and the batter. The salt will draw out any excess water so you get nice, crisp fritters.
2. To make the soured cream and sumac sauce, whisk together the soured cream, Greek yogurt, olive oil, sumac and lemon zest until the mixture is smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice.
3. Whisk the egg, flour, baking powder and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper (don’t salt the mixture, as you’ve already put salt in the grated vegetables) to make a smooth batter.
4. Over the kitchen sink, squeeze the excess liquid out of the grated vegetables in handfuls, and add it to the batter. Stir until all the vegetables are coated in batter, and the mixture is uniform.
5. To fry the fritters, heat a large, non stick frying pan over a very high heat with a splash of oil. Line a plate with kitchen paper (to soak up any excess fat) to rest the fritters on while you fry them in batches. A dessert spoon of mixture is enough for one fritter, flattening it with the back of the spoon, and flipping it after a couple of minutes. Fry until both sides are a deep golden.
6. Serve straight away on a warm plate, stacked and finished with a generous spoonful of sauce, some Greek basil, and perhaps a dusting of sumac.

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