Zucchini, Potato and Herb Fritters

Adapted from a recipe in 'The Australian Women's Weekly's TAPAS antipasto mezze'. Be vigilant about squeezing all the liquid from the vegetables and, after thoroughly squeezing out the liquid, pat the vegetables (except the garlic which is likely to stick to the paper!) with paper kitchen towelling. This is a recipe where it's a good idea to have all your ingredients ready before grating the vegetables and grating the potatoes last so they have less time to turn brown! The weights indicated are approximate so the following approximate weight equivalents should give you an idea of the general amount required: 410g = 13oz; 375g = 120z; 75g = 21/2 oz. The number of fritters you get will depend on what size you make them; the number that the fritters will serve will, of course, depend on how many appetisers or other dishes you are serving as part of an antipasto mezze platter.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 34 fritters

Ingredients

• 2  medium potatoes, peeled, grated coarsely (400g)
• 3  medium zucchini, grated coarsely (360g)
• 1  medium yellow onions (for Americans) or 1  medium  brown onion, grated coarsely (for Australians)
• 3  garlic cloves, finely minced or 3  garlic, to taste
• 1⁄2 cup self-raising flour
• 3  eggs, lightly beaten
• 1  tablespoon of fresh mint, finely chopped
• 2  tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cracked black pepper or 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, to taste
•  sea salt, to taste
•  olive oil, for shallow frying
• 200  ml  Greek yogurt (reduced fat is fine) or 200  ml sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
• 1  tablespoon of fresh mint, finely shredded

Directions

1. Squeeze all the excess liquid from the potato, zucchini, onion and garlic, and use paper kitchen towelling to further pat dry the potatoes, zucchini and onion. One method is to put the vegetables into a small colandar or sieve, place this on or over the sink and press down on the vegetables several times.
2. Combine the potato, zucchini, onion, garlic, flour, egg, mint, basil, pepper and salt in a large bowl.
3. Pre-heat the oven to hot. 220°C or 425-450°F or gas mark 7-8.
4. Heat oil in a large, preferably non-stick pan, and shallow-fry level tablespoons of the mixture, until the fritters are browned on both sides, place on paper kitchen towelling to absorb excess oil then transfer the fritters to oven trays and bake uncovered for about 10 minutes or until they are crisped and cooked right through.
5. Combine the yoghurt and extra mint.
6. Serve the fritters immediately with the yoghurt and mint topping.