Crispy Pork Fritters

• servings: 15 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour (4.5 ounces; 127 g), divided

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more to finish; for table salt use half as much by volume

1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons (21 g) unsalted butter

8 ounces (227 g) boneless pork loin chops, diced into 1-inch cubes

1/2 medium yellow onion (4 ounces; 113 g), diced

1 pound (455 g) well-drained sauerkraut

8 ounces (227 g) ham steak, diced

3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk

2 large eggs, beaten

2 cups panko breadcrumbs, pulsed a in a food processor or blender to a finer texture

2 quarts (1.9 L) neutral oil, such as vegetable oil, for frying

Cocktail sauce and whole-grain mustard, for serving

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk to combine 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper, and mustard. Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven or large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pork chops and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on at least two sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion, and cook, lowering the temperature if necessary to prevent burning and stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sauerkraut and ham and stir to combine.

Sprinkle seasoned flour mixture over sauerkraut mixture and cook, stirring continuously, until no flour is visible, about 1 minute. Slowly add milk in a steady stream while stirring continuously and cook until mixture thickens and clumps together, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Let mixture sit at room temperature until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Using a meat grinder or pulsing in a food processor, pulse (about 25 pulses for a food processor) into a cohesive mixture of small, uniform pieces. It should resemble ham or tuna salad in texture. Spread mixture evenly across a plate and let it cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, use hands to roll sauerkraut mixture into 1-ounce balls (about 30 total).

Set up a breading station with 3 shallow bowls: Fill 1 bowl with remaining 1/2 cup flour, 1 with eggs, and 1 with panko breadcrumbs. Using separate hands for wet and dry ingredients, roll each ball in flour, then egg mixture, then breadcrumbs, pressing lightly to ensure an even coating at each stage.

Heat oil to 375°F (190°C) in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot (oil should measure 2-inches deep, add more if needed). Working in batches of about 10 balls at a time, fry sauerkraut balls until golden brown and cooked through, turning if needed for even browning, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly season the fried balls with salt. Repeat with remaining sauerkraut balls. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve with ramekins of cocktail sauce and mustard for dipping.

Nutrition

• Calories: 700 kcal
• Total Fat: 64 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 46 mg
• Sodium: 643 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 21 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 12 g