Cauliflower Cheddar Sage Fritters

WUT???? Yup, you read that right. I was psyched to share this with you! I came up with this potato free latke recipe around Chanukah time in December. Calling these babies “fritters” just might get me into the No Jews Allowed country club. Mashed cauliflower is a staple in our home, so it seemed like a logical next step to turn them into a less starchy version on the Chanukah classic. I then experimented and jazzed them up by adding shredded cheddar cheese, chopped fresh sage, and some diced red onion for color and bite. The sage tastes so wonderful! These would also be great made in minis, topped with say, a tomato confit. Pass those around at a party and you’re a rock star. Even a dollop of hummus on top, sprinkled with some paprika would be a lovely taster. 

Ingredients:

Two cauliflower

1.5 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Red onion

Two bundles sage

3 eggs

1 cup flour

Directions:

Two heads of cauliflower cut into pieces and boiled in water or vegetable stock until soft. Drain cauliflower, and mash with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon. Make sure it’s in a large mixing bowl.

Add a cup and a half of shredded cheddar cheese, a small to medium diced red onion, and two bundles of finely chopped fresh sage. Gently mix in three beaten eggs, 2 and a half tsp of salt, 1 tsp of pepper, and half a cup of all purpose flour. The flour binds the mixture by absorbing excess moisture. Add more by the tbsp if you think it necessary throughout the process.

Heat a large skillet or two with a generous amount of vegetable or canola oil. When the oil is very hot (you can test by tossing in a little bit of the mixture and seeing how it reacts), gently slide a spoonful of the mixture into the pan. Flatten the top. I find that using two spoons helps this. Be mindful of splattering oil!

Fry the cauliflower patties a few minutes on each side until a deep golden brown, flipping carefully with a spatula and large wooden spoon (that worked for me). Drain in a single layer on paper towels to absorb excess oil. To reheat on a low oven temp, I cover them with foil but poke holes in the top. I do this when I don’t want something to dry out, but I don’t want it to get soggy either. You can substitute a diced white onion or scallions for the red onion, and can use parsley or dill if you can’t get fresh sage. Enjoy!