Beer Cheddar Potato Fritters
Light, fluffy, and full of a cheddar-y kick, these fritters are an adaptation of a classic French potato preparation called ‘pommes dauphine’. Pommes dauphine is a mixture of potato purée and a classic pâte à choux, a light pastry dough cooked on the stovetop. The mixture is rolled into doughnut-hole-sized balls and fried, resulting in airy mashed potato fritters that are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Mix in our Fiddlehead Brewing Co. IPA-infused Beer Cheddar to add a cheesy bite and a hoppy aroma.
The fritters are best right out of the oil, but if you’d like to prep before guests arrive, you can cook them up to two hours ahead of time (just keep them at room temperature on a wire rack and throw them in a hot oven to re-warm). Dip them in our honey mustard for a terrific holiday appetizer!
Don’t waste those potato skins! Cut them into bite-sized pieces and fry until crispy (you already have hot oil, too). Toss the skins with a little chili powder and salt and serve with sour cream.
Deep frying at home can be intimidating, but it can be done easily and safely as long as you follow a few tips:
First off, you don’t need a ton of oil; with a small pot you really only need 2-4 cups of oil. The most important thing: don’t fill the pot more than ½ way with oil. Heat the oil on a medium-low heat. This will take a while for the oil to come up to temp, but it’s safer than heating it on high and forgetting about it.
For best results, monitor the temperature of the oil with a digital thermometer. If you don’t have one, you can also test the heat of the oil by dropping in a bit of bread. It should start to fry immediately and turn golden brown in 15 seconds.
While frying the potatoes, the oil will drop in temperature. Keep checking it with your thermometer and adjust the heat as necessary. Cool oil will produce soggy, oil laden fritters.
Fry your fritters in small batches (3-4 at a time). This will limit the amount of bubbling that occurs that could lead to a spill over.
Beer Cheddar Potato Fritters
Makes about 16-20 fritters
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Russet potatoes
- 2T butter
- ½C water
- 1T salt
- ½C flour or gluten-free flour
- ¼lb Beer Cheddar, shredded
- 2 eggs
Directions
- Scrub and wash the potatoes. Heat an oven to 375°F and cook the potatoes until a fork can be inserted with no resistance. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle them. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out as much of the flesh as you can. Smash with a potato masher or a fork. For a finer mash, pass them through a ricer. Set aside.
- Make the pâte à choux. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the water, salt, and butter in a saucepan until boiling. Add the flour and stir vigorously with a spoon until the flour has been fully incorporated and a dough has formed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat vigorously until each of the eggs has been fully incorporated. Stir in the cheese and continue to mix until all of the cheese has been worked into the dough.
- Mix the cheddar pâte à choux with the potatoes.
- Heat oil on the stove to 350°F. Using two spoons to form small dumplings, drop the potato batter into the fryer. Fry in batches of 3-4, and make sure to stir the oil once or twice to ensure that they don’t stick together and are evenly cooked. When they’re golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on a wire rack. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve warm.