Zucchini + Potato Veggie Fritters (Gluten, Dairy, and Nut-Free)

It’s funny when I look back at some older recipes on this blog because I read my words about what was going on at the time that blog post was published, and then I am immediately flooded with memories from that era.

Well, the time I am currently living in is the height of quarantining and social distancing for the sake of Covid-19. In the past 30-ish days or so, we have cooked every single meal (except 1) at home— which is truly a world record of sorts for any New Yorker. Right now is a time in which I’ve been playing Macgyver with the contents of our fridge + pantry most days, strategically using produce by the order in which they expire so that we don’t waste anything. Everybody is doing their best to be frugal, with both money and their number of trips to the outside world for groceries.

So how does this have to do with fritters? Well, I used to make fritters a lot. Fritters, latkes, hashbrowns, whatever you want to call shredded vegetables thrown in a pan of sizzling oil to create a gloriously crunchy finger-food delight that totally satisfies that comfort food craving— you name it, I loved making them.

But somehow, I forgot about my grating disc attachment of my food processor and it has sadly been living in a drawer the entire time I’ve lived in this apartment. Then the combination of Justin making sweet potato hashbrowns a week ago and then catching a glimpse of some zucchini starting to look a little elderly in the crisper made me fish that grating disc out of that drawer and revive it to it’s former glory.

The thing about veggie fritters is that they are insanely flexible to adapt to what you have on hand, and can easily be adapted to fit any dietary need. You just basically need to pick a nice combo of veggies, spices, a binding agent, and some flour.

Veggies like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, kohlrabi, and zucchini are all great bases, and then I also love throwing some chopped hearty leafy greens in there to stuff some extra veggie nutrition in. You can also use cooked + softened broccoli or cauliflower (mashed/finely chopped is best). As for flours, I used cassava in these as cassava’s starch gives this a nice crisp, but chickpea flour or any all-purpose flour work! Then for binding, I used an egg but you can also sub ground flaxseeds if you’re making things vegan. The culinary world is your oyster with this one…or at least, whatever quarantine groceries happen to be in that oyster of yours🤣Let’s go make some nice fritters now, yeah?

Zucchini + Potato Veggie Fritters

Gluten-free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free
Makes about 16 fritters

2 medium Zucchinis
1 small Potato, peeled
1 small Onion, diced
1/3 cup packed choice of hearty leafy green, chopped (I used collard greens, you can also use kale or chard)
1/2 cup Cassava OR Chickpea Flour (you can also sub any all-purpose flour, GF or not)
1 large Egg (sub 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds if you want to make it vegan)
1 tsp Smoked Ground Paprika
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Avocado Oil (ideally use a high heat point oil like this)

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Box grater OR Grating disc on a food processor
Cheesecloth OR fine mesh strainer

Recipe

1. Using a box grater (or grating disc on a food processor if you have one), shred the zucchinis and potato. Using either a cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer, squeeze and drain out as much excess liquid as possible from the shredded veggies— don’t skimp this step: the drier your veggies, the more your fritters will crisp up and the easier this is to make!

2. Place shredded zucchini and potato in a large mixing bowl, and add the diced onion and chopped leafy green. Mix until combined. Add paprika, garlic powder, salt, and mix until spices are evenly mixed into veggies. Add the egg (or ground flaxseeds) and cassava flour, and mix thoroughly until everything is uniform.

3. Using your hands, combine and roll the veggie mix into small balls and flatten to form ~3 inch patties.

4. Over medium-high heat, heat a frying pan or griddle and add in the oil. Once oil is hot, add the fritters. Leave fritters to cook for about 3-4 minutes, then flip them using a spatula.

   *You will have to work in batches, and I recommend transferring the cooked ones onto a cooling rack (rather than a plate) to retain crispiness

5. Allow fritters to cool down a bit, then serve! Also pairs great with any kind of dip / aioli if you’re looking to get fancypants.

Fritters can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days, but they also freeze really well and can be stored for a month!