Crispy Gamja-jeon

Step 1

Clean the potatoes well. Scrub off any dirt with a brush while rinsing in cold water.

Step 2

Grate the potato on a coarse side of a cheese grater. I prefer to keep the skin on because I'm lazy & potato skin is an excellent source of nutrients and fibre.

Step 3

Once the potato has been grated, sprinkle salt to draw out moisture. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Squeeze any excess moisture and transfer the potato to a separate dry bowl.

Step 5

Add in the rest of the ingredients. As for cheese, some of my favorites are gruyere + fresh pecorino, but you can also use whatever aged cheese you have on hand.

Step 6

Gently mix— you want to make sure that the potato has been coated with the potato starch but not over-mixed to a glue-like consistency.

Step 7

Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat.

Step 8

Once the skillet comes up to temperature, drizzle in 2 tbsp neutral oil and spread well around the skillet.

Step 9

Transfer the potato mixture to the pan, spreading evenly.

Step 10

Drop the heat down to medium. Not all pans and stoves have even heat distribution, which may lead to a patchily crispy fritter. To avoid this, I like to cut out parchment paper and press down with a heavy lid on areas that need to be browned. (usually the center!) See photo for reference.

Step 11

After 5 minutes, the gamja-jeon should look crispy and evenly golden brown. If not, drop the heat to a medium-low and focus pressing down on paler areas.

Step 12

Flip with confidence... and a spatula.

Step 13

Cook for 4 minutes on the other side until golden brown. Then, flip once more so that the side that faces up is nice and glossy.

Step 14

Garnish with whatever your heart desires! I used cured egg yolks, grated gruyere, and ramp capers bc I was feeling fancy but other alternatives are sour cream, kimchi, chives, parsley, etc... Enjoy while hot!