If you have actually never ever heard of hot water cornbread, you may be a little perplexed by the flat, crispy appearances of this cornbread recipe. Don’t be alarmed: This dish– and its predecessor– belong to the cornbread you understand and like, but in its many fundamental and modest type.

Instead of making a large batch of batter and putting it into a scalding hot frying pan, this dish is more like making pancakes; spoonfuls of batter are poured into a swimming pool of sizzling oil, yielding thin, crispy cornbread fritters that are devilishly golden brown and crispy on all sides.

Born of lean times, this style of cornbread doesn’t include any eggs or dairy; it depends on hot water to loosen the batter to a spreadable consistency that will flatten out throughout frying. Here, we’ve changed that water with something better– savory potlikker left over from prepared collards greens. This basic, substantial modification honors the simple past of hot water cornbread while making it the best version of itself.

Ingredients
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. great yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup potlikker (reserved from Double-The-Potlikker Greens).

1/2 cup cooked collard greens (reserved from Double-The-Potlikker Greens), sliced.

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted.

6 Tbsp. grease, divided.

Directions.
Place the potlikker in a microwavable measuring cup; microwave on HIGH until extremely hot, about 2 minutes. Put 3/4 cup of the hot potlikker over cornmeal mixture; dispose of staying potlikker, or reserve for another use.

Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, carefully drop 6 balls of batter (1 inch apart) into frying pan. Lightly coat the bottom of a heatproof measuring cup with cooking spray; carefully flatten each ball into a 2-inch circle. Cook until an even, golden brown crust types on bottoms and batter puffs up a little, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat treatment two times, including 1 more tablespoon oil per batch. Serve warm.