Olla-Podrida: Leek Fritters with Garlic and Lemon

You may remember that wonderful package of cleaned, sliced leeks (read: all of the work is done) that I used in the capellini recipe here. My plan, following the capellini, was to try the leek soup recipe on the package, but then I stumbled upon this recipe while flipping through

Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

and had to give it a try. For years I have been trying to make fritters, latkes, potato pancakes, whatever you want to call them, with only minimal success. Largely, I found them soggy and tasteless. No matter how many additional ingredients I'd add, none of my attempts were memorable. So when I found this recipe using leeks, one of my favorite vegetables, I couldn't wait to try them. I've adapted the recipe from the one in the book by substituting Melissa's leeks for those you have to labor over, reduced the quantity of the other ingredients in order to compensate, and swapped Old Bay for the cayenne pepper in the original. What a delicious way to eat vegetables. Finally, I said to myself, a fritter with taste! They're also quick, easy, and not at all bad for breakfast the following day.

Leek Fritters with Garlic and Lemon
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

1 6-ounce bag Melissa's cleaned and sliced leeks
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 scallion finely sliced
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 egg, beaten to blend
Canola oil for frying
1 teaspoon butter for frying

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Pour leeks into pot all at once. When water returns to a boil, cook for 3 minutes until slightly softened but not limp. Drain, and wring them out in a dish towel or piece of cheesecloth.

Transfer leeks to a medium bowl; stir in scallions. In a small dish, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning. Stir the dry ingredients into the leek mixture, and then blend in the egg until mixture is evenly coated.

Heat oil and butter in a large sauté pan until oil shimmers. Drop small dollops of the leek mixture into the pan (I used a cookie scoop for this). Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden, flip, and cook 2-3 more minutes. Makes 6.

Garlic Lemon Cream

1/4 cup sour cream
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed Meyer Lemon juice
Gratings of lemon zest
Punch of Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Top each fritter with a dollop before serving.

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday