These little fritters come together quickly with leftover beans. You can also sub your favorite beans for pintos in the Perfect Dutch Oven Beans recipe.
Pinto Bean Fritters
Yields: About 20
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 cups Perfect Dutch Oven Pinto Beans, cooled (recipe follows)
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1½ cups finely ground pork rinds
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 (1-ounce) package ranch dip mix
- Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped fresh parsley
Perfect Dutch Oven Beans
- 1 cup dried pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
- 5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches; heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°.
- In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse beans until relatively smooth and only small chunks remain.
- In a large bowl, combine puréed beans, onion, parsley, cilantro, and garlic. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup flour, baking powder, salt, cumin, and red pepper; stir flour mixture into bean mixture. Divide into 20 equal portions; shape into balls.
- In one shallow dish, place pork rinds. In a shallow bowl, place eggs. In another shallow bowl, place remaining ¼ cup flour. Working in batches, dredge balls in flour, shaking off excess. Dip balls in egg, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge balls in pork rinds.
- Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using a spider strainer, remove and let drain on paper towels.
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream and dip mix. Serve fritters immediately with dip; garnish with cilantro and parsley, if desired.
Perfect Dutch Oven Beans
- In a large bowl, combine beans and water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and let stand for 6 hours or overnight. Drain, discarding liquid.
- In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and let drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add beans, 4 cups water, bay leaf, and pepper; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until bean mixture is creamy and thickened, about 45 minutes. Stir in bacon and salt. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving.
