Hatch Chile Corn Fritters

Delightful, that’s what these are. Sweet corn with a little bit of heat from the chiles…..big payoff for minimal effort.  It’s Hatch Chile season, which is a type of chile from New Mexico that makes it's way into every grocery store in Texas. Central Market goes nuts for hatch chiles this time of year, incorporating it into everything. Literally everything: tortillas, bread, chocolate, brownies, cheese, chips, etc.  So, I wanted to make Jalapeno corn fritters but decided to get a little more festive with the hatch chiles.  Jalapenos would be delicious too!

Recipe

• 2 1/3 cups fresh or canned corn, divided
• ½ cup corn flour
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup chopped green chiles
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar
• Breadcrumbs
• Olive oil
• Sour cream (for serving)

Using a food processor or blender, pulse 2 cups of the corn, the corn flour, sour cream, egg and salt 2 or 3 times (you don’t want to turn it into a paste).  Add the chiles and do one more pulse. Mix in the cheese and remaining 1/3 cup corn, and do a mini pulse (you want to leave some big chunks of corn).  Form the corn mixture into patties, coat with breadcrumbs, and place on a plate. I would recommend putting the patties in the freezer or fridge for 15-30 minutes to help solidify the shape, but I didn’t have time to do this and they turned out fine.  Heat enough olive oil to coat the pan over medium-high heat, and cook the patties until brown on each side (2-5 min per side).  Serve with sour cream, duh!