The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern_ Knockout Dishes With Down-Home Flavor - Matt Lee [22]
Rootsy sweet potatoes get to show off in this perfect appetizer, which relies on a matchup with okra to lend the fritters their spongy-crispy texture. Peanuts, in the form of peanut oil (expensive, but worth it), give the fritters that lusciousness we all crave. The cooling hit of a garlic buttermilk dip is essential to round it all out. Serve these as a cocktail-hour snack—use a fork and knife if you must; we use our hands—with a dry sparkling white wine, or as an appetizer.
FRITTER BATTER
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated on a box grater or in a food processor
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
6 ounces fresh okra, cut into ¼- to ⅓-inch-thick rounds (1⅔ cups)
½ cup finely chopped scallions (white and green parts)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons half-and-half
GARLIC BUTTERMILK DIP
½ cup whole or lowfat buttermilk
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
½ large clove garlic, grated on a Microplane grater
3 cups peanut oil
1 Toss the grated sweet potatoes with 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl, and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2 Wring the sweet potato dry by handfuls over the sink, and return them to the bowl. Add the okra, scallions, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, bread crumbs, and flour, and toss until evenly combined. Add the egg and half-and-half, mix together, and let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature. Then beat the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula for about a full minute until it’s very sticky (in this regard, the okra is key).
3 Prepare the garlic buttermilk dip: In a medium bowl, whisk the butter-milk with the sour cream, salt, and garlic. Season to taste with more salt, if needed. Set the dip aside.
4 Set oven to warm (200°F), and place in it a baking pan or ovenproof platter lined with a double thickness of paper towels.
5 In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil to 365°F. Use a large serving spoon to shape the sweet potato mixture into fritters by scooping a rounded spoonful from the bowl, placing it on a clean baking sheet or cutting board, and lightly pressing down on the center of the mixture with the back of the spoon to flatten it before moving on to the next fritter. Gently roll each fritter into the hot oil with a slotted spoon or skimmer, and fry in batches, flipping each fritter once, until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the fried fritters to the oven to keep warm, and repeat until all the fritters have been fried.
6 Serve the warm fritters with the garlic buttermilk dip alongside.
SQUID WITH WATERMELON AND BASIL
serves 4 • TIME: 20 minutes preparation, 1 to 2 hours marination
Along the South Carolina coast, shrimpers land a variety of squid called “brief squid” as a bycatch that rarely hits the local market. Nevertheless, the fresh squid we find in our grocery stores is delicious—as scrumptious as shrimp, and slightly easier to prepare. It takes about the same time to cook (45 seconds in a pot of boiling water), but with squid, there are no shells to peel!
In this recipe, we marry squid with watermelon, a fruit that is so much more versatile than those summer picnics would suggest. We like to include diced melon in salads, where its crunch and moderate sweetness bring a welcome jolt of fun. It’s especially delicious when paired with the acidity of lime or vinegar (as you already know if you’ve made yourself some Watermelon Margaritas, or Watermelon and Onion Pickles). The melons grown in the sandy soil on Johns Island outside Charleston have terrific flavor, and also a firm, snappy flesh that holds up well in the vinegar-chile-onion marinade here.
After the marination, we finish each serving with a