Brisket Tots

Image by Courtesy of The Gander

By Jesse Schenker December 2, 2015

One more reason why bar snacks are cool and brisket is hot.

A recent New York Times rave says it all: At , chef Jesse Schenker’s “finger-beckoning…brisket tots have become such a category killer that he’s going through 200 pounds of brisket each week and has hired two people in the kitchen who do nothing else but full-time tot duty.”

Serves 4

Note: If you would like to make this recipe with leftover brisket, simply skip the ingredients and steps for making the brisket.

For the brisket:
1½ pounds brisket
1 large carrot, diced
1 medium Spanish onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
10 ounces chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, diced
2 Granny Smith apples, sliced
2 cups red wine

For the tots:
2 cup Spanish onion, sliced
1 teaspoon caraway, whole or powder
¼ pound butter
¼ cup whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 cups potato flakes
4 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
Salt to taste

1) To make the brisket (if not using leftovers): Preheat oven to 300˚ F. Place all ingredients in one large pot (preferably cast iron for braising). Cover with tinfoil and place in oven for 5–6 hours (or until the meat is very tender). Let cool in braising liquid. Once meat is cool, shred the meat and strain the liquid, discarding any fat and vegetables.

2) To make the tots: Sweat (slowly cook) the onions in a sauté pan with the caraway and butter until soft. Add mustard and vinegar and place to the side to let cool. Once cool, add shredded brisket. Portion into long nickel-sized logs then freeze/chill until solid (for easy cutting). Combine flour and potato flakes in a bowl. Cut into ½-inch rounds then dip each round into beaten egg and dip into flour and potato flake mixture. Fill shallow fry pan with 1 cup vegetable oil, place on medium heat. When oil is hot, place 6–8 brisket croquettes in pan (do not overcrowd the pan). Cook evenly on each side until golden.

3) Remove from fry pan onto towel to drain excess oil. Place in 350˚ oven for 10 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Recipe appears courtesy of The Gander restaurant and chef Jesse Schenker.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO