These Garlicky Potato Fritters are crispy, garlicky, gluten-free, and pan-fried with less oil than other recipes. Serve them on their own as an appetizer, lunch, snack, or as a side dish. They're also perfect for meal prep, potlucks, or picnics because they travel well. They can even be frozen if needed!
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What Makes These Potato Fritters Different
Garlic and marjoram - I find marjoram isn't a very commonly used spice in North America, but it totally should be! My family in the Czech Republic has always made crispy potato fritters with lots of minced garlic and dried marjoram, which gives them a very specific flavor, and now I don't want to make them any other way. If you haven't tried them with marjoram yet, I highly recommend trying this recipe!
Crispy but with less oil - These fritters are made with much less oil than regular potato fritters, but they still have that delicious crispy texture and golden color. I use about the same amount of oil I would use for pancakes, and it's perfectly enough! No need to fry them and soak them in oil to get them crispy and they still stay tender on the inside.
Ingredients
- Potatoes - The best yellow potatoes for fritters are Yukon Gold potatoes. Other varieties you could use are Russet potatoes or Red potatoes.
- Eggs - Eggs help bind everything together. I haven't tested any vegan alternatives and really don't recommend skipping the eggs.
- All-purpose flour - The only flour I use in my kitchen is a gluten-free blend (my go-to is Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour), so these are made to work with a gluten-free flour, but regular all-purpose flour will work just as well.
- Marjoram -
- Garlic - For the best flavor, I recommend using grated fresh garlic. You can also use the one in a tube or a jar. Garlic powder works in a pinch, but won't give you the same strong flavor.
- Cooking oil - I always use avocado oil, but any neutral-tasting vegetable oil works. It should have a high smoke point, so avoid extra virgin olive oil.
Variations and Substitutions
- Cheese - Stir in some grated cheddar cheese, parmesan, or even feta into the batter for a cheesy flavor and to get them even crispier on the outside.
- Add more spice - Add some red pepper flakes to the batter to make the potato fritters spicy.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Grate the potatoes carefully using a box grater on the larger side with bigger holes or on a mandolin with a similar setting.
- Transfer the grated potatoes to a medium bowl and sprinkle with sea salt, working it into the potatoes with your hand to incorporate.
- Allow the potatoes to sit for 10 minutes to release water.
- Squeeze as much liquid out of the potatoes as you can. I like to do this twice to be sure I get out as much excess moisture as I can. You can either do it just in your hands or use a cheesecloth or a clean tea towel.
- In a mug or a small bowl, whisk together eggs, minced garlic, and marjoram.
- Add the egg mixture to the grated potatoes and stir to incorporate.
- Add flour and stir again until well incorporated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon avocado oil.
- Use a spoon to scoop the batter and form fritters in the pan. Don’t overcrowd your pan. I usually cook them in batches of 3-4 in a 12-inch skillet.
- Cook the fritters for 2-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
- When you take the fritters out of the pan, immediately sprinkle them with a little bit of salt. They’ll absorb it better while they’re still hot off the pan.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil or wiping the pan as needed.
Tips & Tricks!
- Don't skip squeezing water out of the potatoes - I like to do this twice just to be sure the fritters will be extra crispy. You'll be surprised how much water the potatoes release once you mix them with salt!
- Don't let the batter sit for too long - As the batter sits, a pool of liquid might appear on the bottom of your bowl. Don't mix this in. It's the potatoes releasing more water that would make your fritters soggy. If you squeeze the potatoes really well, this shouldn't happen, but it does sometimes.
- Add salt right after cooking - Because the potatoes are salted in the very beginning to draw water out of them, most of the salt leaves with the liquid and they're not very salty. Sprinkle them with sea salt right after you take them out of the pan. They will absorb the salt much better that way, instead of it just sitting on top once they're colder.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the fritters on their own or with finely chopped fresh herbs like chives or parsley. Traditionally, we don't serve these with anything really besides an extra sprinkle of salt. I like to sprinkle them with flaky Maldon sea salt to make them a little fancier.
You can also add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, but I find it doesn't really go with the marjoram here. You can also serve them as a side with roasted chicken, pork, salmon or other meats - think anything you'd serve with garlicky potatoes with an earthy marjoram flavor.
They're also great with eggs in the morning, served as you would hash browns! I like them with sunny-side-up eggs or poached eggs.
Storing
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. You can enjoy them both cold straight from the fridge or warm them up.
You can also freeze them in a freezer-safe container or a freezer bag for up to 2-3 months. You can place a small piece of parchment paper between each fritter to prevent them from sticking together.
Reheating
They will lose their crispiness once they cool down, but you can make them crispy again by warming them up in a pan on the stove with a little bit of cooking oil or in the oven. A baking sheet with a wire rack is great for these because they can get crispy on both sides.
Just preheat your oven to 350°F and reheat the fritters on a baking sheet in a single layer till warmed through and crispy (about 8-10 minutes).
FAQs
The batter is too wet. This will happen when you don't squeeze out enough liquid from the potatoes. Once you add salt, they release a surprising amount of water, so it's important to get rid of as much of it as you can. This will also make them more soggy and not crispy. Cooking them in more oil will also help to crisp them up.
More Recipes with Marjoram
If you're not used to using dried marjoram in your kitchen and you don't know what else to use it for, check out the four recipes below! The zucchini fritters are pretty much just a lighter version of these potato ones. You can also add marjoram to a Homemade Italian Seasoning, and if you want to see other sides, head over to Side Recipes for the latest ones.
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Print📖 Recipe
Garlicky Potato Fritters
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 3-6
- Category: Sides
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Czech
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Garlicky Potato Fritters are crispy, garlicky, and pan-fried with less oil than other recipes. They're gluten-free, simple, and made with lots of fresh garlic and dried marjoram. Serve them on their own as an appetizer, lunch, snack, or as a side dish.
Ingredients
- 2 lb yellow potatoes, peeled
- 1 tsp fine sea salt (plus more for after cooking the fritters)
- 2 large eggs
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried marjoram (or oregano)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour)
- Avocado oil for cooking (or other cooking oil)
Instructions
- Grate the potatoes carefully using a box grater on the larger side with bigger holes or on a mandolin with a similar setting.
- Transfer the grated potatoes to a medium bowl and sprinkle with sea salt, working it into the potatoes with your hand to incorporate.
- Allow the potatoes to sit for 10 minutes to release water.
- Squeeze as much water out of the potatoes as you can and transfer them to a different bowl.
- In a mug or a small bowl, whisk together eggs, minced garlic, and marjoram.
- Add the egg mixture to the grated potatoes and stir to incorporate.
- Add flour and stir again until well incorporated.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon avocado oil.
- Use a spoon to scoop the batter and form fritters in the pan. Don’t overcrowd your pan. I do 3-4 in a 12-inch pan.
- Cook the fritters for 2-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
- When you take the fritters out of the pan, immediately sprinkle them with a little bit of salt. They’ll absorb it better while they’re still hot off the pan.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil or wiping the pan as needed.
- Serve the fritters on their own or with finely chopped fresh herbs like chives or parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
Keep your fritters warm: Preheat your oven to 250°F and keep the fritters on a baking sheet in the oven in a single layer while you finish cooking the rest of the batter. Don’t stack them to keep them crispy.
Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for 2-3 months. Place a piece of parchment paper between your slices to avoid them sticking together in the freezer.
Reheating: Reheat the fritters in a non-stick pan until warmed through or on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 300°F. You can reheat them from frozen or defros them in the fridge first.
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