Crispy Cheese Gamja-Jeon

Crispy Cheese Gamja-Jeon

Gamja(potato) Jeon(fritters)

Gamja-jeon is my favorite greasy hungover meal for when I feel… <ahhh idk what to eat, but I have potatoes in my pantry and some cheese, and I want something crispy and greasy>

This gamja jeon recipe is definitely not traditional, but one that amalgamates my love for Jewish latkes, especially the rough crispy edges. Not only does the coarseness of the potatoes create a beautiful edge crust, but the lattice structure allows the water to evaporate and maximize crispiness, which you can clearly see. 

But unlike latkes, this gamja jeon uses potato starch instead of eggs as a binder. You will first feel uneasy about how dry the mixture is for the jeon to come together, but doobies, you have to trust the process. 

As for which type of potatoes to use, I love to use potatoes that are suitable for baking, like russet (also known as idaho potatoes). And for cheese, I love to use gruyere + fresh pecorino, but you can also use whatever aged cheese you have on hand. It's a great way to get rid of any cheese that's gone too dry in the fridge.** 

Enjoy! 

Ingredients

• 250g potato*
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup cheese*
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• ½ bundle of flat leaf parsley,
• finely chopped
• black pepper
• 2 tbsp neutral oil to fry

To garnish, 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...

Directions

1. Clean the potatoes well. Scrub off any dirt with a brush while rinsing in cold water. 
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. 
3. Once the potato has been grated, sprinkle salt to draw out moisture. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
4. Squeeze any excess moisture and transfer the potato to a separate dry bowl. 
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. 
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. 
7. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. 
8. Once the skillet comes up to temperature, drizzle in 2 tbsp neutral oil and spread well around the skillet. 
9. Transfer the potato mixture to the pan, spreading evenly. 
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. 
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. 
12. Flip with confidence... and a spatula. 
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. 
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! 

Crispy Gamja-jeon

4 from 84 votes

Recipe by Doobydobap Course: Snacks, Late Night, Breakfast, LunchCuisine: Korean, Fusion, JewishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

This gamja-jeon recipe is definitely not traditional, but one that amalgamates my love for Jewish latkes, especially the rough crispy edges.

Ingredients

• 250 g potato

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ cup cheese

• 1 green onion, finely chopped

• ½ bundle of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

• black pepper

• 2 tbsp neutral oil to fry

• To Garnish

• 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...

instructions

• Clean the potatoes well. Scrub off any dirt with a brush while rinsing in cold water.
• 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.
• Once the potato has been grated, sprinkle salt to draw out moisture. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
• Squeeze any excess moisture and transfer the potato to a separate dry bowl.
• 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.
• 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.
• Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat.
• Once the skillet comes up to temperature, drizzle in 2 tbsp neutral oil and spread well around the skillet.
• Transfer the potato mixture to the pan, spreading evenly.
• 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.
• 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.
• Flip with confidence... and a spatula.
• 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.
• 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!

Recipe Video

Notes

• As for which type of potatoes to use, I love to use potatoes that are suitable for baking, like russet (also known as idaho potatoes).
• For cheese, I love to use gruyere + fresh pecorino, but you can also use whatever aged cheese you have on hand. It's a great way to get rid of any cheese that's gone too dry in the fridge.

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