Carrot Fritters with plain Greek yogurt (and yes, those are sliced, pickled jalapeno peppers on the yogurt)

Making food for a holiday party can be a crap shoot.

You really never know what people will eat, or not. Of course it’s not prime rib or king crab left sitting on the table at my house, but piles of mashed potatoes, dressing, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows or like this past Christmas, where a pound (okay, maybe two pounds) of braised carrots went uneaten.

Creative Cooking Crew came to the rescue with its January Challenge: Repurposing leftovers or how many meals can you get from one. (Thanks to Laura Lafata, the one and only La Diva Cucina.)

I thought of a few leftover recipes off the top of my head. A carrot galette with roasted beets. A small pot of creamy carrot soup with cumin and cilantro. Both seemed so overdone. And I suspected Elvis would eat neither (of course I am always right about these things). I realized something else as I considered my carrots-I take leftovers for granted.

So I stewed a bit-you know, looked in the pantry and then the fridge. Then I decided to do some yoga. Afterwards I made a chamomile caramel tea latte and had a moment of clarity. There is no telling if it was from Warrior II or if it was the sugar buzz from the Agave in the tea. When I had the restaurant, I made fritters with copious amounts of leftover mashed potatoes. Everybody loved them. (I knew Elvis would love Carrot Fritters too!)

And if you’re wondering what the connection is, well potatoes and carrots are both root vegetables and both make an excellent base for a fritter.

So. Onward.

Serve Carrot Fritters (think sweet, tart, spicy and sour) as an appetizer for a small party, or as an entree with a fresh green salad for a quick midweek meal.

You’ll want leftover carrots all the time.

Okay. Maybe at least once a month.

Carrot Fritters
Yield 10-12 appetizers or 4-6 entrees

Cook’s note: The second time I made this recipe, I substituted roasted carrots for the braised carrots, but the texture was a little more dense and didn’t have the rich, meaty flavor from the braised beef. Still delish though. Roast carrots ahead several days to save time.

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon toasted, crushed coriander seeds

Dash kosher salt

Dash black pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded braised carrots, chilled and shredded on box grater

1/2 cup raw apple, Gala or Granny Smith, grated on box grater

1 tablespoon minced pickled jalapeño

1 egg, beaten lightly

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon oil

Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Add flour, breadcrumbs, coriander, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk.
2. Add carrots, apple, jalapeño and egg to medium bowl. Stir.
3. Add dry mix to carrot mix. Stir in a little at a time..
4. Form into quarters sized disc if serving appetizers, or half dollar sized disc if serving as an entree. Arrange in a single layer on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Heat a 10 or 12-inch skillet over medium heat for three minutes. Add butter and oil. When butter foams, add carrot fritters to the skillet. Do not crowd. Work in batches if necessary. Fry for two minutes or until caramelized brown crust forms.
6. Turn and fry equal time on the other side. Remove from heat.
7. Plop a spoonful of yogurt on top (or on the side) of each fritter. Serve immediately.

Check out the link to the CCC roundup for some amazing leftover ideas, and don’t forget to check out the CCC Pinterest board, too.