I’ve come to realise that my love for anything potato-related really knows no bounds. Today I had a go at making a version of potato croquettes that I saw on Kristyleigh.com
It’s relatively easy recipe which would make for a killer entree or canape, although for my first attempt I made them a little larger than a canape size.
Firstly, I made my mash potato.
There’s probably a thousand different versions of good ol’ mash potato but I did it the way I’ve seen done my whole life by my Mum.
I simply peeled and chopped 3 potatoes into cubes and placed them in a microwave safe bowl with a lid. I filled it about half way with water also, then popped in the microwave to cook for 10 minutes.
You know they’re cooked when you can easily mash them with a fork. So adding some butter, milk and chicken stock, I mashed and mashed until they were lump-free and silky smooth.
In a seperate bowl, I combined a generous handful of chives, a finely diced onion which I had sauteed in a fry pan earlier, a cup of tasty cheese and some S&P.
I combined the mash and the cheese mixture and stirred it so everything was evenly distributed.
I was going to start rolling out my croquettes straight away but the mixture was still warm and impossible to deal with, so I left it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool down.
In the meantime, I gathered 3 large bowls. In one I put plain flour with S&P, the next I put 2 beaten eggs and the last I put bread crumbs mixed with parmesan cheese. These would be the crumming mixtures for the croquettes.
Firsty, I had to roll them out.
Judging by the photo you’ll probably be able to tell that my skills in maintaining an equal size need refining.. buuuut it’s a work in progress.
On to the crumming, which is a little messy but straight forward.
As suggested by the recipe I followed, it is best to designate a ‘wet’ hand and a ‘dry’ hand.
So firstly, using your dry hand place a croquette into the flour, coat it then place it into the egg. Use your wet hand to coat the croquette in egg then transfer it to the breadcrumbs. Use your dry hand to coat the croquette in the breadcrumbs.
It does get a bit fiddly and it’s hard to resist the urge to use both hands at all times, but trust me, doing that only ends in serious mess.
Once all the croquettes are coated, heat a deep pan with oil and make sure it is very hot before frying.
For the croquettes to be ready, they’ll be golden brown and float to the top. They should be crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside.
Although I ate them plain, they would be really nice with a dipping sauce that isn’t too salty. Perhaps sweet chilli or chilli and red wine vinegar.
They turned out absolutely scruuuuumptious and I’m more than a little smitten with this dish. Potatoes never disappoint!
My Year in the Kitchen 