Courgette (zucchini) and Potato Fritters

OK, for clarity, this recipe is not exactly for fritters, they are not fried and in fact do not contain any oil, at all. I wanted to call them patties, Mrs Green said patties sounded anodyne and chilled, so fritters they are. If you don't know they are not actually fried, it would be pretty difficult to tell as they are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

These fritters make for altogether good companions to, well, just about anything. We have had them stuffed inside a large, crisp lettuce leaf with Veganaise, other condiments and cucumber for a light take on a burger, served on the side of lentil soup with some chilli oil, on their own with a yoghurt dip and as a filling for a tomato sandwich. Be it the Bangles or Bad Religion, Sriracha or tzatziki, late night poker games or the Sunday morning service, Nicola Sturgeon or Theresa May, whatever rocks your boat these go with.

This recipe has been voted in with a landslide Chez Greens. I am a fan, Little Boy Green finds himself nibbling away after declaring he is absolutely not hungry, and Mrs Green repeatedly declared her enthusiasm for these little discs of deliciousness and has voted them this year's favourite recipe (but only the actual end of the year will tell if that truly sticks). Baby Green stares intensely at us eating these fritters sending "gimme some" messages with his big browns (albeit he does that with nearly all food he sees us eating. Weaning the boy has been the easiest task imaginable).  These fritters have won us over and I am confident they'll do the same to you, if you give them a shot.

Ingredients: (aprox. 18 fritters)

• 3 X large courgette (zucchini)
• 2 X medium potatoes 
• 1 X medium onion
• 2 X tbsp ground flaxseed 
• 1/2 cup wholewheat flour (substitute wholewheat flour with oat flour for a gluten-free recipe)
• Small bunch parsley (20g)
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Method: (see video below)

• Grate the zucchini and potatoes on the larger grating surface of a box grater and place into a large colander.
• Place the colander over a mixing bowl large enough to hold the colander and the mixture.
• Using your hands, mix and squeeze to release liquid. Add 1 tbsp of salt and mix and squeeze for a few more minutes.
• Discard the liquid in the bowl and let the mixture sit in the colander for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 C, grate the onion on the the larger grating surface of a box grater and chop the parsley.
• Mix and squeeze once more for a few minutes to extract as much liquid as possible (the mixture will remain somewhat damp, which is OK).
• Discard the liquid in the bowl, then place the zucchini and potato mixture in the bowl.
• Add the onion, parsley, flaxseed, pepper, and flour to the zucchini and potato mixture and stir well to combine.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and form the mixture into 5 cm (2 inch) patties roughly 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick. (approx. 18)
• Bake for 20 minutes, flip the fritters and return to oven for another 15-20 minutes.
• The fritters should be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Allow to cool and then eat before anyone gets their hands on them!