Potato and taro rosti with smushy peas
A pancake that stands alone as a hearty meal
Welcome to To Vegetables, With Love, a celebration of a vegetable life, less ordinary. ‘ Find archived recipes on my recipe index.
My book Tenderheart is available from Books are Magic, Kitchen, Arts and Letters, Book Larder, Bold Fork Books and also here or here.
This week’s recipe is unlocked for paid subscribers, who get priority access. It will be unlocked for free subscribers later this month.
I have a little problem with fritters. They are delicious, yes, but they frustrate me because the effort required to make them usually outweighs the results.
I speak from past frustrations. A few years ago, I tried a recipe for pea and mint fritters from a cookbook that promised easy recipes. The fritters took me all afternoon and when I was done, I realized I still needed to make something to accompany them. After hours of frying, that was a bitter pill to swallow.
The fritter or pancake that I can get on board with is a Japanese okonomiyaki because it is hearty enough to feel like a meal. A rosti is also acceptable, because it’s bigger, bulkier and doesn’t require hours of patty shaping. The potato rosti topped with apple salad in my book Tenderheart is my idea of a perfect pancake-for-dinner scenario.
This week’s recipe is my effort to create a fritter/pancake/rosti that works as a stand-alone meal, one that feels hearty, and not a snack. I made it with potato and taro, but the idea is that you could use any starchy root vegetables. Sweet potatoes, yams, cassava would be excellent stand-ins for the taro. There’s no egg, but the moisture from the grated onion combines with the glutinous rice flour or potato starch to form a glue which not only holds the rosti together, but also gives it’s a nice chewy texture.
My favourite part of this recipe could be a “smushy” peas. Inspired by the mushy peas you would find on top of Harry’s Cafe de Wheels pies in Sydney, I find smushed peas totally crave-able. They look vibrant, yes, but they are also creamy and sweet, with a lively savoriness that keeps me coming back for more. I don’t like my peas ‘mushy’ but rather ‘smushed’, where they retain some texture (there’s a smushed peas recipe in Tenderheart where they are served with any roasted veg). I’ve seasoned them with five spice powder and red chili flakes but you could go more traditional with mint, or whatever soft herbs you have on hand.
All NYT Cooking recipes have gift links:
Monday: A true vegetarian pad thai (sans fish sauce) is a harder dish to find than you might think. Here is one you can make at home.
Tuesday: Brown food is often the tastiest! Like this rich tofu rendang. No beef needed here!
Wednesday: I’m pining for pasta and pickles.
Thursday: Try these Cumin Green Beans and Mushrooms with a mix of mushrooms for different textures!
Friday: Here’s a new recipe over at ABC Lifestyle, Vegetarian pie with spinach, potato and cheddar cheese. Potato + Greens + Cheese = happy!
🥦 My cookbook, Tenderheart is for cooking vegetables, all year round. Pick up your copy here. It is also mostly vegan (or vegan-izable) and gluten-free adaptable.
Potato and taro rosti with smushy peas
© Hetty Lui McKinnon for To Vegetables, With Love.
