A weekend lunch idea that's quick and easy enough to make as a light weeknight dinner.

Looking at these fritters make me feel like it’s Saturday because that’s the day I always seem to make them for lunch. They’re so easy to cook, however, that they have sometimes made it onto the weeknight menu as a light dinner as well. I can also remember making a big batch of them and taking them to a picnic with a bag of rolls, salad and condiments where we turned them, burger-style, into very good sandwiches.

There’s no need to pin down the weights and measures of the vegetable to the third decimal place. Assuming you’re not using monster or miniature vegetables, just use two zucchini (courgettes) and one potato and you’ll be fine. The corn can come from a cob, a tin or the freezer at your convenience.

The perfect accompaniments are a tangle of peppery rocket (arugula) leaves and a dollop of cool tzatziki on the side; you’ll find my tzatziki recipe here.

Corn and zucchini fritters with tzatziki

Serves 2 (makes 6–8 fritters).

250g (9 oz) zucchini
175g (6 oz) potato
175g (1 cup) corn kernels
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme)
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper

Grate the zucchini and potato into a colander. Press and squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands and leave them to drain for about 15 minutes. Then squeeze again.

In a mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, potato, corn and thyme.

Add the flour and egg, season with salt and pepper and stir until just combined.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat – not too hot or the surface may burn before the fritter has cooked through. If this is “frying”, it’s very gentle.

Using a ¼ cup measure (or an ice-cream scoop), drop the mixture into the oil. Only cook two or three at a time; any more is asking for trouble. Flatten slightly with a spatula and cook for 3 minutes. Turn over and cook the other side for 3 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.