These traditional Persian-style potato patties are made with sibzamini—“apples of the earth,” a.k.a. potatoes. The patties’ scent and color comes from saffron, a staple in Persian cookery, which is ground into a powder to draw out intense color and flavor. Adding a bit of water to the powder makes the magic happen: A pool of intense vermillion forms, to be added to your eggs and potatoes. A combination of baking powder and baking soda lightens the batter as it cooks, making for fritters that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
What you’ll need
Spider
$12 At Amazon
Citrus Juicer
$17 $16 At Amazon
Microplane Grater
$19 At Amazon
Large Straight-Sided Skillet
$200 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 16
Ingredients
Yogurt
Fritters and assembly
Preparation
Yogurt
Step 1
Whisk together yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl. Chill lemon yogurt until ready to serve.
Fritters and Assembly
Step 2
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in cold water to cover by 2"; season water with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer potatoes until fork-tender, 20–25 minutes. Drain and let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel potatoes; transfer to a large bowl and coarsely mash with a potato masher or fork.
Step 3
Using a mortar and pestle or a teacup and the back of a spoon, grind saffron to a powder. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in 1 Tbsp. warm water; let sit 1 minute. Whisk in eggs, baking powder, baking soda, pepper, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt until well combined. Gently stir egg mixture into potatoes to combine (the batter should be thick).
Step 4
Heat ¼ cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches and adding more oil between batches if needed, drop batter in heaping tablespoonfuls into pan and flatten to 3" in diameter. Cook fritters until crisp and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a paper towel–lined baking sheet; immediately season with salt.
Step 5
Transfer fritters to a platter; scatter dill over and arrange lemon wedges around. Top lemon yogurt with lemon zest and serve alongside.
