Potato fritters are delicious treats for the palate that we can gift to ourselves or to guests, friends, and family who come to visit us.
These fritters should be cooked in nicely hot oil, which preferably, if you can measure it with a kitchen thermometer, should stay between 320 and 356 degrees Fahrenheit. The fry will be perfect, dry, and not heavy.
Remember that when frying, the type of oil you use is important too. The most suitable oils are peanut oil, extra virgin olive oil, or lard.
If you are interested in other non-fried but delicious preparations, also check out:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 13 medium-large fritters
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
Let’s see the ingredients to make this recipe
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 egg (whole or just yolk as preferred)
- 1 pinch fine salt
- fresh yeast (10g)
- 1 tablespoon milk (to dissolve the yeast)
- type 1 flour (270g)
- q.b. lemon zest
- q.b. orange zest
- butter (50g softened)
- potatoes, peeled, cooked, boiled (150g)
- q.b. peanut oil (or extra virgin olive oil for frying)
Tools
You will need a potato masher
Steps
Let’s see the steps to make potato fritters
First, boil the potatoes in boiling water. Once ready, set them aside in a warm place.
In a large bowl or on a pastry board, spread the flour and mix it together with the tablespoon of sugar and the citrus zest.
Now make a well (the classic hole in the center of the flour) and start adding the softened butter in small pieces and the potato puree that you have obtained with a potato masher or another tool you are used to using. The warm potatoes will naturally melt the butter gently. Now add the egg, whole or if you have leftover (from other preparations) even just a yolk, it works the same.
In a separate container, dissolve the fresh yeast in a tablespoon or two of warm milk or water (both work) and then add it to the center of the flour. With a fork, starting from the center of the “well,” begin to mix all the ingredients until the dough starts to become firmer, and you will need to start working with your hands. Before the dough is completely assembled, add also the pinch of salt.
Once we have our smooth and non-sticky dough, put it to rise in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, in a place protected from drafts for about 3 hours. When its volume has doubled, it will be ready to shape.
After the first rise, take the dough again and shape the fritters. I gave the classic doughnut and bow-shaped forms. Once shaped, place them on a baking sheet or tray lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour.
Put them to rise again for about an hour and a half. They will be ready for frying when they look nice and puffy.
Prepare the oil, which should be poured into a pot not too large so that it stays higher and the fritters can submerge well in the oil. As I mentioned in the introduction, I check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer, if you don’t have one, use the trick of the wooden stick or a breadcrumb. If the crumb, when dipped in the oil, starts to turn golden slowly, the oil is ready; if it goes to the bottom of the pot, the oil is still cold.
Fry for the necessary time, at a temperature that should not exceed 356 degrees Fahrenheit. Occasionally, always do the crumb test, if it tends to burn, it means the oil needs changing and you are frying at too high a temperature.
Once ready, sprinkle with powdered sugar and then enjoy these wonderful and soft potato fritter treats warm.
Tips
After a few hours from cooking, once they have cooled well, you can also store them in the freezer and defrost them as needed.
The night before, when you decide to consume them, put them in the fridge, and in the morning, a quick microwave zap or a warm-up in the pan will give you again a great and tasty fritter.
