A budget-friendly recipe that makes the most of what you already have
With spring in full swing, my weekly shopping consists mostly of fresh, seasonal vegetables. I have plans for most of them: asparagus to go with my baked salmon, snap peas for a noodle salad, and leeks for potato soup. But by the end of the week, I always find myself with a fridge full of odds and ends. To avoid any of my precious (and, let’s be real, expensive) produce going to waste, I’ve had to get creative. These veggie fritters—packed with spring onions, carrots, and peas—were born from the last few inhabitants of my vegetable crisper, but to my delight, they tasted anything but accidental. They’re crispy, crunchy, and slightly sweet (in a vegetal way). To help offset some of the fried richness, I dunked my fritters in a quick herby ranch sauce made from the dregs of a yogurt container and a handful of fresh dill and parsley. Paired with a green salad, this made for a perfect light dinner and, better yet, saved me a second trip to the grocery store.
The first step is to build the batter. This one requires just flour, salt, baking powder, an egg, and a bit of water. Once the mixture is smooth, you can stir in the veggies: shredded carrots, sliced spring onion, and a handful of frozen peas (or fresh, if you’ve got ’em!). Spring onions are essentially more mature green onions with a sweeter and more intense flavor, but if you don’t have them, ordinary green onions or even thinly sliced yellow onion will work instead. In fact, you can swap out the carrots and peas too—try cabbage, zucchini, or even chopped broccoli. In any case, there should be enough batter to coat the veggies and pool slightly at the bottom of the bowl. Throw in an extra shredded carrot if your veggies are swimming in batter—this will prevent your fritters from turning out too dense or gummy.
For the crispiest, crunchiest results, you want to fry your fritters in about ¼ inch of oil for about three minutes per side. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of your oil: keep it around 350°F to prevent the fritters from becoming excessively greasy. If you’re not keen on shallow frying, you can go ahead and pan-fry the fritters in a smaller amount of oil (just enough to coat the pan). Made in this way, the fritters will have more of a pancake-like texture—less crispy but just as tasty.
However you choose to cook the fritters, know that the dipping sauce is absolutely required. Built around a generous dollop of Greek yogurt, it’s tangier and lighter than a classic ranch. A big handful of fresh herbs adds a hint of green, plus some much-needed freshness to counter oily fritters; I like to use parsley and dill, but chives, mint, or even cilantro would get the job done. Remember, the whole point of this recipe is to use what you already have—make substitutions as needed, and try not to stress. Once it’s fried until crispy and smothered in creamy sauce, how could it be anything but totally delicious?