Herby Cheddar Leek Fritters Recipe

This recipe for herby cheddar leek fritters, created by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, is a simple and delicious brunch or lunch option. Easy to make and quick to throw together, this dish can be ready and on the table in 35 minutes. Buttery sauteed leeks are mixed with fresh parsley and tarragon, then finished off with sharp cheddar, to give heaps of flavor to these crispy and gooey pan-fried fritters. Serve a fresh and zingy garlic and chive yogurt alongside the fritters to add the perfect finishing touch. This dish is great for children and adults alike and can be served as a casual lunch option or as a starter for a dinner party. 

"Fritter" is basically a catch-all term for anything that is fried in some kind of batter. It is a fantastic way to use both sweet and savory ingredients and adds a new dimension to their flavor. It's also a great way to combine different flavors into one dish, in a quick, bite-sized meal. The ingredients in this dish are bound together using a mixture of flour, egg, and milk, with the batter creating a beautiful crisp golden-brown coating around the leeks and cheese. Read on to find out just how easy it is to make these herby cheddar leek fritters at home.

To begin this herby cheddar leek fritters recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want leeks, butter, eggs, mustard powder, plain flour, baking powder, milk, parsley, tarragon, cheddar, and olive oil. For the yogurt you will need Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and chives.

Heat the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Add the sliced leeks and fry for 5 to 6 minutes until soft but not browning.

Remove the leeks from the heat and set them aside to cool.

To make the accompanying garlic and chive yogurt, combine the yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the chopped chives, and salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mustard powder, flour, baking powder, and milk to form a batter.

Stir in the cooled leeks, the chopped parsley, chopped tarragon, and the grated cheddar, and season to taste to complete your fritter batter.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and dollop tablespoon-sized amounts of the fritter batter into the hot pan.

Allow the batter to cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the bottoms are crisp, and then flip the fritters over and cook them for another 3 to 4 minutes on the other side.

Remove cooked fritters from the pan and repeat this process until all of the batter has been used up.

Serve the fritters warm with a spoonful or two of the garlic and chive yogurt.

These herby cheddar leek fritters make a great brunch or lunch option. Because they are so beautifully light, they can be served alone as a small bite or as a side dish with other foods for a larger meal. Have them with a bowl of soup or a salad for a quick and satisfying weeknight dinner. If you're hosting guests, you could consider serving them as a starter for a dinner. They also make a great addition to a brunch spread or a platter of appetizers for a party or holiday gathering.

When it comes to accompanying dishes, you could keep the meal vegetarian by serving the fritters alongside fried potatoes or roasted sweet potatoes. If you want to cater to pescatarian or carnivorous tastes, serve them as a side for white fish or chicken. These herby cheddar leek fritters are delicious, but they aren't well suited to cooking ahead of time and are best enjoyed freshly cooked from the pan while they are lovely and crisp, with soft gooey centers. Luckily they don't take too long to prep and cook. If you do happen to have any leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and consumed for up to 3 days.

The beauty of a fritter recipe is its versatility; the sky really is the limit! While this combination of leeks, herbs, and cheddar is wonderful, you can easily adapt the ingredients to suit whatever you have in your fridge. If you don't have leeks but happen to have some zucchini lying around, substitute the sauteed leeks for grated zucchini, and you'll have a dish similar to traditional Greek zucchini fritters. There is no need to cook the squash, just remember to wring out some of the water before mixing the zucchini with the rest of the batter. Similarly, you could use spring onions to add a nice allium bite to the fritters.

For a more subtle change, you could get creative with the herbs you use. Why not add a different mixture of herbs such as basil, cilantro, or whatever you have growing in your garden? If you have no cheddar in the fridge, swap it out for another kind of cheese. Your best bet would be a medium-to-hard cheese. Gruyère would make for a great substitute because it has lots of flavor and is easy to grate. Bear in mind that if you add too soft a cheese, it runs the risk of making the batter too runny.