Butternut squash & leek fritters with lemon yoghurt
This recipe came about after having a tub of roasted butternut squash that had been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. I was originally going to make leek fritters using a recipe by Smitten Kitchen, but having seen the squash I decided to adapt it a bit and it worked really well. The firm texture of the squash made the fritters bind together well whilst adding a sweet nutty taste; I also added some harissa for heat and flavour.
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, approx 800g unpeeled - you need 500g once roasted
2 large leeks, approx 600g whole, not chopped
1.5 tsp ground harissa spice blend
4 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 large egg
Lemon yoghurt
200ml Greek yoghurt
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºc and follow the instructions for cooking the butternut squash here (using harissa instead of cumin). Set aside to cool and then chop into 1cm cubes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 80ºc so you can keep your batches of fritters warm later.
While the squash is roasting, quarter the leeks length ways leaving about an inch or so that is still attached at the whiter root end. Rinse the sliced darker green end to remove any dirt.
Next cut the leek in 1/2cm slices and steam for 6-8 minutes they should still have a little bite.
Put the leeks into a muslin cloth or clean tea towel and squeeze out as much water as you can. You may need to let them cool a little before you do this, or wear rubber gloves!
Put all the ingredients, except the egg, into a large bowl and stir well. Add the salt and double check the seasoning by tasting a pinch of the mix and if it’s ok then add the egg and mix well to combine.
I use a large ice cream scoop to measure and shape each fritter, but you could do it with a big spoon and scales - aim for about 80g each.
Put a sheet of parchment on a baking tray and line up the raw fritters as you make them. Now you can either freeze or put some in the fridge in an air tight container if you don’t want to cook them all. See note on freezing below.
Once they are all ready. Heat 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil in large frying pan. You’ll need to cook the fritters in batches so the pan doesn’t get over crowded; I do 4/5 each time (or they’re hard to turn) and I usually need to add about 1/2 tbsp of oil for each new batch so they don’t stick.
Cook for approx 5 minutes each side on a medium heat until golden brown.
Place each batch on a large tray and put them in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest.
Mix the ingredients for the lemon yoghurt while the fritters are cooking.
TIP
Serve with a green salad, homemade slaw, griddled halloumi or a poached egg.
To freeze: find a tray or plate that will fit in your freezer and line it with baking parchment. Space out the fritters and put in the freezer for about an hour, allowing them to harden and then transfer to a bag. This way they won’t stick together in a big lump and you can defrost however many you need.
