Brandade Potato Latkes
- 2 pounds fresh skinless boneless cod
- Sea salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup milk
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 8 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and halved
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 2 cups matzo meal or fine dry bread crumbs
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Liberally coat cod with about 3 tablespoons salt on each side, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place cod in an 8 by 12 baking dish or jelly roll pan.
- Pour olive oil and milk over cod, and lay thyme sprigs and garlic on top.
- Cover with foil and bake until fish is just cooked and begins to flake, about 20 minutes.
- When fish has cooked, remove cod and reserve thyme and cooking liquid; discard garlic.
- While fish cooks, place potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover and 2 tablespoons salt.
- Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain well and return to pot.
- Place over very low heat for about 4 minutes to get rid of excess moisture.
- Remove from heat; mash in pot until smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk egg.
- Stir mashed potatoes, little by little, into egg.
- Add leaves (not stems) from reserved thyme.
- Using a fork, flake cod and fold it into mashed potatoes until well blended.
- If batter is too stiff, mix an extra 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup cod cooking liquid into the remaining batter.
- If it does not hold together, add up to 1/4 cup matzo meal.
- Season to taste with pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Fill a large skillet with about 1/4 inch vegetable oil, and place over medium-high heat.
- Using a 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup measuring cup, measure a portion of cod-potato mixture and shape into a 1/2 inch thick disk.
- Coat disks in matzo meal or bread crumbs.
- Fry until golden, turning once, about 2 minutes a side.
- Repeat with remaining batter and drain on paper towels.
- To serve, reheat if necessary on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven.
cod, salt, olive oil, milk, thyme, garlic, russet potatoes, egg, freshly ground black pepper, vegetable oil, matzo meal
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015729 (may not work)