Roasted Butternut Squash Fritters

Last week, I was being very clever and not just using my oven for cooking one single thing.  I had a lemony garlicky chicken roasting for weekday lunches and I spied a Butternut Squash in the vegetable rack that had survived the pre-holiday cull.  It looked perfectly serviceable so I decided to roast it and do something with it later.  I just split it, scooped out the seeds, gave it a brush of olive oil and sprinkled it with a Romanian herb and spice mix called Mititei - a gift from Little Sis's other half and roasted it at 200c/Gas Mark 6 for an hour.  Mititei is traditionally used to make meatballs but I love it sprinkled over roasted vegetables so out it came.

The roasted flesh ended up in the fridge for a week, making me feel guiltier and guiltier for ignoring it and I decided it was going to become part of our usual Saturday brunch, come what may. Fritters seemed to be the obvious solution and a plan was hatched.  Because the butternut squash was already flavoured with the Mititei mix, I didn't need to add too much seasoning - just a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Eggs and flour completed the fritter batter and I was all ready to go.  When I was playing with the last half of the batter yesterday, I added some fresh thyme from the windowsill and it added a delicious herby note.

Roasted Butternut Squash Fritters

500g Butternut Squash flesh
2 Eggs
100g Plain Flour
Salt and Pepper
3 tbsp Vegetable Oil

In a large bowl, mix together the butternut squash, eggs, flour and seasoning until really well combined.

Pour the oil into a large frying pan and heat for 2 minutes on a medium heat.

Using two tablespoons drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan.  You should get 12 fritters from this mixture.

Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side and turn carefully (I found it easier using the two cleaned tablespoons rather than a spatula as the fritters are rather delicate).

When they're cooked, sprinkle with sea salt and serve immediately.  If you're not ready, put them on a plate in a medium oven - they'll stay warm and won't go soggy.

The Hubs thinks they are excellent with tomato ketchup, but I think they'd be gorgeous with a relish or chutney too.  What would you serve them with?