Hotdish Hoedown 2009

Zuchini potato cutlet

From the chef

I sat down to write the recipe that was requested and realized that mostly what I do is add ingredients until everything looks and tastes right. So, the recipe comes with the disclaimer that all amounts are rough approximations. The basic procedure is there, but the cook may have to increase or decrease the amounts of the ingredients somewhat. That said, here's the recipe. If anyone has questions, please let me know.

Ingredients
3-4 med to lg. zucchini (~1.5 lbs?)
2-3 lg potatoes
1-1.5 inch ginger, peeled and finely diced
1 medium onion, diced small
citric acid
2-3 green chilies, diced fine (the thin, long green chilies available at Indian food stores are best, but serranos will do)
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped (3T?)
panko breadcrumbs 1-2 boxes
3 eggs
salt and pepper

Instructions: untested by the Hoedown hostess

• shred the zucchini. Place into a tea towel and squeeze out the moisture. Salt the zucchini and wait to bring out additional moisture. squeeze again. Getting as much moisture as you can out of the zucchini will really help when it comes time to form the cutlets.
• boil the potatoes, peel, and mash lightly. Let cool if you have time.
• combine the potatoes and zucchini. You're looking for around a 2:3 zucchini to potato ratio. Add some of the onion, green chili, ginger, salt, cilantro, and citric acid. Mix well and taste. Add more ingredients as needed until everything tastes good.
• Chill the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour. If the mixture is not cold, it will be difficult to form the cutlets.
• Remove the mixture from the fridge and taste again. Amend seasoning as necessary. A slightly too salty mixture at this point will yield perfect cutlets at the end.
• form the mixture into balls with a 1.5" diameter. If these get too big, it will be difficult to get them to hold their shape as cutlets. Ideally at this point, the mixture should cohere well and hold its shape. If not, you may have trouble when trying to form the cutlets. If the mixture is too goopy, you can try adding diced bread to help bind things together. However, this will give the cutlets a doughy flavor, and should be considered a last resort.
• Fill a bowl with Panko breadcrumbs. Roll the balls in Panko and shape into cutlets. Try to keep thickness as uniform as possible.
• Combine 3 eggs, a splash of water, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Beat until a uniform consistency has been achieved.
• Fill a medium to large, shallow saucepan with vegetable oil until it is about 1/2" in depth. Heat on high. Lay down some thick newspaper on the counter next to the stove.
• Dip shaped cutlets in egg mixture, then Panko. Try to avoid excess egg mixture or Panko that will fall of the cutlet in the frying pan. Once you get used to the process, you can prepare a batch of cutlets while a batch is frying. Until that happens, you may want to prepare all the cutlets so you can focus on frying.
• When oil is hot, but not smoking, place cutlets into the oil. Do not crowd. I usually fry about 5-7 at a time, depending on the size of the pan.
• If the oil is hot enough, the cutlets should be ready to flip in about 30-45 seconds. Flip the cutlets in the order that you added them to the pan, and fry for an additional minute or so, until deep brown.
• Remove cutlets from the oil and place on the newspaper to drain and cool. Move on to the next batch. You may need to replenish the oil at some point during the process. Just make sure you allow enough time for it to heat sufficiently. Also, shaking excess Panko from the cutlets prior to adding them to the pan will help to keep your oil clean.
• The recipe should make ~30 cutlets, depending on cutlet size.