Butternut Squash Fritters
These festive delights are soft and creamy with an herby touch on the inside and a delightful crunch on the outside.
The fritters are easy to make and don’t require skill. Unfortunately and it hurts my heart to say that they are a little hands on and are best eaten fresh. It’s not the best choice for a large crowd unless you have a large flat grill and can cook many fritters at once.
If you need to keep the fritters warm or reheat them, make sure you do it in a single layer in the oven. The good news is the fritters have plenty of moisture so you don’t need to be concerned about them getting dry.
Butternut Squash Fritters Ingredients
Makes 12 - 1/4 c fritters
2 lbs cubed butternut squash
2 c chopped onion
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp red pepper (cayenne)
½ tsp sage
½ c + 1 Tbl cornmeal (divided)
1 egg
6 Tbl butter
Sesame seeds (garnish)
Cilantro (garnish)
Butternut Squash Fritters Directions
Heat the oven to 350.
Put 2 lbs of butternut squash and 2 c chopped onion in a Pyrex (doesn’t need to be a single layer) and put it in the oven. Stir every 15 minutes. After about 40-45 minutes, the squash should be fork tender, the onions are clear, and the water is gone. If you have a lot of liquid, keep cooking because you don’t want excess water.
Allow the squash mixture to cool to warm. Add ¾ tsp salt, ¼ tsp red pepper, ½ tsp sage, 1 Tbl cornmeal, and 1 egg to the squash (you can leave it in the Pyrex). Take a fork and mash the squash. You can leave it chunky or make it smooth. Stir the mixture to make sure the seasonings are evenly distributed.
Take a 9” frying pan and heat it to medium low heat.
Add ½ c of cornmeal to a salad plate.
When the pan is warm, add 1 Tbl of butter. It should immediately melt.
Scoop ¼ c of the mixture and shape it into a patty. Gently place it on the cornmeal then dust the top of the patty with cornmeal. Both sides of the patty are coated in cornmeal.
Add the patty to the pan. You should hear a gentle sizzle that keeps sizzling. If you don’t hear the sizzle, leave the patty in place, but increase the heat. Make sure your heat is not too high or the butter will burn and the patty won’t set before the exterior is over done.
Add three more to patties to the pan (can be more if your pan is larger but make sure you have room to flip them).
When the underside of the patty is golden brown and crisp, flip it. Add a little more butter to the pan. Remove it from the pan when both sides are done. If your pan is the same temperature as mine, it will take 7 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the 2nd side. Repeat.
Sprinkle sesame seeds and chopped cilantro over the patties right before serving.
