Sunday, May 11, 2008

Bright beet and potato fritters and a little photography news

I fell in love with Donna Hay’s beet, sweet potato and potato fritters in Issue 38 because of the beautiful color and unusual texture of the fritters (enhanced, of course, by the wonderful way they were photographed). The fritters are formed by (according to Donna’s method) running a zester over the length of the potatoes and beets to cut them into thin strands. A rather laborious process to say the least, but I found an easy shortcut that I am so in love with I’m thinking about new dishes solely for an excuse to apply it: the Benriner turning slicer.

This low-tech but amazing gadget slices vegetables into a single long strand (or other shapes) in seconds. I sound like a commercial, but really, it’s quite nifty. I opted to leave out the sweet potato, as I am not a huge fan of them, and instead used half beet and half potato. I had all 300 grams dissected in a minute, and beautiful deep red and pink (the beet colors the potato) fritters not long thereafter. This is such a beautiful and clever approach that it gives me all sorts of inspiration: a breakfast version with a poached egg on top. A rendition with onion. A version with celery root and potato.

The fritters are seasoned with sumac salt, a mix of sea salt and ground sumac. Sumac is a middle eastern spice that I was not previously familiar with. It has a pleasant lemony taste that is a nice counterpoint to the beet and potato. It’s really not necessary, though, simple sea salt and pepper would work well too, and perhaps a sprinkling of chive on the top.

(excerpt from Joshi Camera Magazine)

On a completely different topic, I want to share some exciting news: this month, I am featured in Joshi Camera magazine, a Japanese photography magazine for girls. The article is about 25 female photographers. I am very proud to be one of the four Americans selected for this edition. I received my copy late last week and was so pleased to see how beautiful the magazine is and what wonderful company I am in. I have a two page spread right at the beginning of the article. The other Americans are Amy Sandoval, whose child photography I enjoy, Paula Swift, and Brenda Acuncius.

(excerpt from Joshi Camera Magazine)

I’m posting the cover and my two pages here, but if you live near a Japanese bookstore have a look at the others. The photography is really wonderful. (p.s. if anyone speaks Japanese and can let me know what they wrote here, I would love to know! I assume it's a translation of the questionnaire I responded to but I would never know!).

(excerpt from Joshi Camera Magazine)

Beet and potato fritters with sumac salt
(adapted from Donna Hay issue 38)
Serves 8

For the fritters
150 g beet, peeled
150 g (floury) potato, peeled
¼ cup rice flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Vegetable oil for shallow frying

Sumac salt (or chopped chive)
¼ cup sea salt flakes
1 tablespoon ground sumac

Combine sea salt and sumac to make sumac salt. Set aside.

Run a zester over potato and beet to create long strands, or, indulge in the Benriner turning slicer. Combine sliced beet and potatoes with egg, flour, salt and pepper (mix well).

Heat ¼ inch oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Spoon ½ cupfuls of beet and potato mixture into frying pan, flattening slightly and frying for ~1 minute on each side until golden and crispy. Remove from pan, drain on paper towel and sprinkle with sumac salt or chive and additional salt and pepper to taste.

23 comments:

Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul said...

Ooohhh! I must get that nifty little tol for the peeling. What a time saver! I love this whole set up and more importantly remember you're a "star" Sabra...very well deserved.

Anonymous said...

your photos are pretty indeed. i can help translate the article if you send me a larger photo where i can actually read the font? lol.

Eva P. said...

Please specify if beet has to be boiled beforehand.

Kana said...

That looks wonderful. Congratulations - those pictures in the magazine are beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Wow Sabra!
This is a great notice.. :)
I love your photos and recipes..

Anonymous said...

This look so darn amazing! The colors in the photo are fabulous -- great pairing of the yellows in the wine and the reds in the actual dish. On the magazine, how cool is that!!

Anonymous said...

You lift us all to the next level of experience! auntie

Sabra said...

Erin: That's very kind. I can send you a larger one (good point!) - I looked for your email on your site but didn't see one - if you email me (address in my sidebar) I can shoot you a larger font image -thank you!
Eva: it's not boiled beforehand - you can follow the recipe exactly as written.
Peter: I think my 15 minute are up! :)
Thanks Sandra, Maya, R!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Thise fritters look incredible! And congrats on the magazine gig, too! Well done!

Anonymous said...

ooh, i love these. i really like fritters made with mixed veggies (like zucchini and sweet potato, yum), and these are gorgeous.

and congrats on the magazine! completely well deserved.

Tim Broyer said...

Congrats. You're very much an inspiration.

Tim

Joan Vicent Cantó said...

Congratulations, tht's a very good notice for all your fans (like me!).

Very well deserved!!

Joan Vicent

Anonymous said...

Congratulations - I love your foody photography and you deserve it! Thank you for linking to my site, too! I really need to blog about the mag - it was a real joy to be printed in it!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. Bravo. Keep it up.

Thip said...

Congratuations!
Your food photography is fantastic.

Gigi said...

Congrats! Your photos are always stunning!

Anonymous said...

The fritters look and sound delicious and your photos are beautiful, as always! Wish I could reach into my
computer and have a bite or two!

Cannelle Et Vanille said...

Congratulations Sabra! No wonder they wanted you... your photos are stunning, a work of art. Love the idea of the beet fritters too... I just love that first photo... so much texture!

MPG said...

Congrats! Well deserved...you work is excellent. The fritters look very yummy, too!!

Sabra said...

Thanks for all the congratulations everyone, that means a lot to me!
Michelle: I like the idea of mixed vegetables, I'm going to experiment using the same formula - zucchini and beet would probably be wonderful as would endless other combinations.

Y said...

Congratulations on the feature! I love all your photographs :)

Helene said...

Congratulations on the magazine! They asked me for July 14th and I amm flabbergasted to be among such talented photographers as you :)
The beet fritters are perfect!

Anonymous said...

Were the beets cooked before peeling???

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