1 onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 500g prawns, cleaned 375ml mashed potato 125ml grated cheddar cheese 2 eggs about 500ml panko breadcrumbs vegetable oil to fry
Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add a splash of cooking oil and the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Add the prawns and cook until pink – about 3 minutes. Spoon the mixture into a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the mashed potato and cheddar and pulse until the mixture is evenly incorporated. Season with salt. Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl. Add the breadcrumbs to another shallow bowl. Scoop 30ml of the prawn mixture into you hands and shape it into a log. Dit into the egg and then roll to cover in the breadcrumbs. Refrigerate the shaped croquettes for a minimum of 30 minutes. Heat the vegetable oil and fry in batches for 3-4 minutes. Serve warm with a tartar sauce on the side.
The word croquette is derived from the French word croquer which means “to crunch” and that is exactly what these potato bites are: a soft, cloudy potato with a heavenly crunch on the outside. Makes about 50 balls and is an excellent way of using leftover mashed potato.
Scoop the mashed potato into a mixing bowl. Add the chopped sausage to a dry pan and cook until done and slightly crisp on the edges. Add the sausage, cheese, chives and garlic powder to the mashed potato and mix through. Scoop about 15ml of the mixture into your hand and shape into a firm ball. Place the balls on a baking tray. Keep going until there are no mix left. Refrigerate the potato balls for at least one hour, it will be easier to work with. Add the eggs to a shallow bowl and whisk to break it up. Add the breadcrumbs to another shallow bowl. Now dredge the balls through the egg and then the breadcrumbs to cover evenly and completely. Warm the oil and fry the balls in small batches until beautifully golden and crisp. Serve the croquettes with a good mayonnaise or mustard.
The difference between bitterballen and kroketten is the shape and only the shape. These Dutch delicacies are delicious as a snack, light lunch or eaten whenever the craving takes hold of you. Homemade bitterballen/kroketten are a mission to make BUT it is worth every ounce of energy that goes into the making!
1kg beef shin (beef shank), bone in 3 onions, sliced into quarters 45ml beef stock powder salt and pepper 10ml parsley, chopped 250g butter 90ml flour 500ml panko/dried breadcrumbs 2 eggs vegetable oil for frying
Place the beef shin (with the bone) and onions in a large saucepan and fill it with enough water to cover the meat. Add 10ml salt and bring to a low simmer. Cook the meat for about 4 hours – it should literally fall from the bone. The shin benefits from being cooked low and slow in order to break down all the fibres and turn it into unctuous, gelatinous meat which in turn thickens the sauce in which it is cooked. Take the meat from the saucepan and set aside. Pour the broth through a fine sieve, season to taste with salt and pepper and then add the stock powder so that you have a salty broth. Add the chopped parsley and set aside. Pull the beef into very fine shreds and cut into small pieces necessary. Now add the butter to a clean saucepan set over high heat. Add the flour a little at a time while stirring constantly. Cook the mixture for 1 minute. Pour the beef stock into the saucepan in a very thin stream, while whisking, JUST until you have a very thick sauce. Take the sauce from the heat, stir in the meat and mix through. Pour the mixture into a large roasting tin and allow it to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and break the eggs in another. Whisk the egg together. Shape about 80ml of the beef mixture into cylinder/round shapes, dredge each one in the breadcrumbs, egg and breadcrumbs again. Fry the kroketten in 180℃ oil, until golden. Serve with a good mustard.
This is a less meaty take on traditional Dutch croquettes and makes a fabulous canapé when paired with a crisp glass of wine. The rolling/shaping of the croquettes are a bit finicky and you do have to be patient but trust me, you will be rewarded in taste!
100ml flour 2 eggs, lightly beaten 250ml breadcrumbs oil for deep frying
Grate the mozzarella into a mixing bowl and put aside. Cut the bacon into chunks and add it to a saucepan with a dash of oil. Cook until done. Spoon the bacon into the bowl with the grated mozzarella. Place the same saucepan back onto medium heat and add the 80ml of vegetable oil and chopped onion. Simmer/fry the onion while stirring occasionally until it is soft and translucent. In the meantime pour the milk into a jug and warm it slightly in your microwave oven. Now add the 160ml flour to the onion and cook through for about a minute, stirring until it starts to bubble lightly. Gradually pour in the warmed milk, stirring continuously. Turn up the heat once all of the milk has been added. Keep stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the salt, chives, bacon and mozzarella. Mix thoroughly. Grease a large roasting tin and pour the croquette mixture into it. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm.
Line up three bowls: add the flour to the first; the eggs to the second and the breadcrumbs to the third bowl. Scoop a spoonful of the mixture into your hands, roll it into a small cylinder and then proceed to roll it in the flour. Dip it in the egg and finally into the breadcrumbs to coat completely. Place the shaped and breaded croquettes on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Keep going in this way until all of the mixture has been utilised. Heat some vegetable oil to 175℃ and fry a few croquettes at a time, until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while cooking the rest. Serve warm.
My Whisk and I 