Potato Fritters bring together two of my favorite foods, cheese, and potatoes, and transform the ingredients into crispy, cheesy, pan-fried bites of pure deliciousness.
Made with mashed potatoes and sometimes called potato pancakes or potato latkes, potato fritters are also similar to Irish Potato Boxty. They are quick and easy to make, and they are the epitome of comfort food.
These simple, crispy Potato Fritters are made with mashed potatoes, cheese, and a bit of flour and egg to bind everything together. They are seasoned to perfection and like my Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes and Crispy Loaded Potato Skins, can be served at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, making them a versatile side dish or vegetarian main dish that will quickly become a family favorite.
Ingredients – here’s what you will need:
- Potatoes – Russet potatoes work best in this recipe because of their high starch content, consistency, and creamy potato goodness.
- Garlic Powder, Kosher Salt, and Lemon Pepper – bring out the flavor of the other ingredients. If you don’t have lemon pepper, you may substitute regular ground black pepper.
- Creole seasoning – a blend of herbs including oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and paprika – enhances the fritters’ overall flavor. In a pinch, you can substitute Cajun seasoning, but it will add a bit of heat.
- Parsley and chives: besides adding a pretty touch of color, these two herbs balance and brighten the flavor.
- Extra-sharp cheddar cheese puts these potato patties over the top and adds a pleasing cheesy flavor.
- All-purpose flour – helps to bind everything together and provides structure to help the cakes maintain their shape. Substitute one-for-one gluten free flour to make this recipe gluten free.
- Egg – the glue or binding agent that holds most baked goods together, also works with the flour to keep the cakes from falling apart.
- Olive oil – this heart healthy oil is used to pan-fry the fritters and, along with the panko, creates crispy potato fritters.
- Panko – coats the fritters so that they turn a beautiful golden brown with a crispy crust when they are pan-fried. Substitute gluten free panko to make this recipe gluten free.
Here’s how to make them:
- Scrub the skins of the potatoes under running water and pat them dry. Prick them four to five times with a knife or fork.
- Cook in the microwave at high power for four minutes. Turn them over and cook for an additional four minutes. Use a potholder or kitchen towel and gently squeeze them to see if they are done. They should be soft and squeeze easily. You can also pierce them with a fork, and the fork should easily slide to the middle without any resistance. If the potatoes aren’t entirely done, microwave for an additional minute or so. Small potatoes will take less time; larger ones might take a little more time. Remove the potatoes from the microwave and let them cool until you can safely handle them.
- Cut the potatoes in half and use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a medium-size mixing bowl.
- Add the Creole seasoning, garlic powder, Kosher salt, and lemon pepper.
- Add the flour, the cheese, the parsley, and the chives. Use a large spoon to combine this mixture and mash the potato.
- Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
- Divide the mixture into four portions. Use your hands to shape into round patties.
- Add the panko to a small saucer and carefully dredge the patties to coat them on both sides. Place the patties on a wire baking rack and place them in the refrigerator to chill for ten to twenty minutes so that they can firm up.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Let the patties cook undisturbed for two to three minutes. Use a spatula and flip them over to cook on the other side for two to three minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the skillet, drain on a wire rack and serve immediately.
Optional, top with a dollop of sour cream and a few chopped-up chives.
Frequently asked questions:
Fritters can be sweet or savory. A sweet fritter is a ball of fried sweetened dough or a piece of food coated in a sweetened batter and fried. An excellent example of a sweet fritter is an apple fritter.
You can make a savory fritter with almost any vegetable or protein and a binder that holds everything together. This recipe for potato fritters is a good example, as is my easy recipe for Southern Shrimp and Corn Fritters.
The primary difference in these different recipes seems to be how the potatoes are prepared before combining them with the other ingredients.
Most of the time, potato fritters are made with potatoes that have been mashed, while pancakes, latkes, cakes, and boxty are made with grated raw potatoes.
The primary reason fritters end up being soggy is because the fruit or vegetables added contain too much moisture. In this recipe, microwaving and cooking the potatoes before making them into patties solves the excess moisture issue.
You can serve potato fritters with any main dish that you typically serve potatoes or another starchy vegetable. For example, I like to serve them with Southern Fried Fish, Crispy Fried Spanish Mackeral Nuggets, Blackened Grouper, or Blackened Mahi Mahi.
They are also a nice change of pace served with eggs for breakfast, Shrimp Burgers, or my Ultimate Southern Burger for lunch.
While potato fritters are delicious on their own, a dollop of sour cream on top is the perfect complement. You could also make a nice sauce with mayonnaise or Greek yogurt blended with a tablespoon or so of pesto and some lemon juice. Blue cheese salad dressing would also be good.
A handful of corn, shredded carrots, bacon, or chopped ham can also be added to the potato mixture before cooking to bump up the nutritional value and vary the taste of these fritters.
Unfortunately, because most mashed potato recipes call for copious amounts of butter, cream, and milk, using leftovers is problematic and will more than likely make your fritters soggy and more prone to falling apart.
Sharon’s tips:
- Leftover fritters can be stored covered in your refrigerator for up to five days. To reheat, place on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place in a 400-degree oven for ten to fifteen minutes. You can also reheat the fritters in an air fryer at 350 degrees F. for four minutes. I don’t recommend microwaving them.
- If you prefer, you can substitute canola or peanut oil for the olive oil.
- I always use kosher salt in cooking. If all you have is regular table salt, only use one-half as much as the recipe calls for.
- Feel free to substitute your favorite shredded cheese for the cheddar cheese in this recipe.
- To make the fritters ahead, you can make this recipe up to the point of chilling the patties in the refrigerator. They can stay in the refrigerator for up to eight hours. Then pan-fry them right before you are ready to serve.
Related recipes:
If you like potatoes as we do, you might also like these popular recipes: Classic Southern Potato Salad, Crispy Southern Fried Potatoes, Old-Fashioned Creamed Potatoes, Au Gratin Potatoes and Ham, Parmesan Potatoes Au Gratin, and Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes.
★ If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
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📋 Recipe:
Easy Crispy Potato Fritters Recipe with Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 large Russet potatoes about 1.5 pounds
- 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup panko
Instructions
- Scrub the skins of the potatoes under running water and pat them dry. Prick them four to five times with a knife or fork.
- Cook in the microwave at high power for four minutes. Turn them over and cook for an additional four minutes. Use a potholder or kitchen towel and gently squeeze them to see if they are done. They should be soft and squeeze easily. You can also pierce them with a fork, and it should easily slide to the middle without any resistance. If the potatoes aren’t entirely done, microwave for an additional minute or so. Small potatoes will take less time; larger ones might take a little more time.
- Remove the potatoes from the microwave and let them cool until you can safely handle them.
- Cut the potatoes in half and use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a medium-size mixing bowl.
- Add the Creole seasoning, garlic powder, Kosher salt, and lemon pepper.
- Add the flour, the cheese, the parsley, and the chives. Use a large spoon to combine this mixture and mash any pieces of potato.
- Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
- Divide the mixture into four portions. Use your hands to shape into round patties.
- Add the panko to a small saucer and carefully dredge the patties to coat them on both sides. Place the patties on a wire baking rack and place them in the refrigerator to chill for ten to twenty minutes so that they can firm up.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Let the patties cook undisturbed for two to three minutes. Use a spatula and flip them over to cook on the other side for two to three minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the skillet, drain on paper towels and serve immediately. Optional, top with a dollop of sour cream and a few chopped up chives.
These sound so good and WEH would love them. Making my copy right now.
Carolyn