Potato Croquettes

Croquettes―small fried rounds or cylinders of meat, fish, and/or vegetables―are consumed on almost every continent in various forms. There’s Japan's korokke, which consists of mashed potato shaped into oval patties, coated with panko breadcrumbs, and drizzled with tonkatsu sauce once fried; Brazil’s teardrop-shaped coxinha, which contains a tender filling of shredded chicken; and there are Spain's croquetas, made from a thick béchamel sauce that’s studded with jamón, salt cod, or chicken. Developing a recipe for basic potato croquettes sounded like a piece of cake: Take some mashed potatoes, toss them in breading, and fry until golden brown and crispy. Like many things in life, the simplest things are often the hardest. Developing this recipe proved to be one of these instances. 

Historically, potato croquettes (or croquettes de pommes de terre in French) rely on pommes duchesse―seasoned potatoes mounted with butter and egg yolks―much like traditional recipes for pommes dauphine. Newer croquette recipes don’t stray too far from tradition: Make mashed potatoes, add seasoning and a binder, and bread it à la Anglaise (a fancy-sounding term for the standard breading sequence of flour, beaten eggs, and then breadcrumbs). My first tests using russet potatoes left a lot to be desired. I attempted to jazz it up with cream cheese (a move that made them dense), sour cream (which just made them taste tangy), and different types of shredded cheese (all of which ruptured through the breading and burnt), amongst other things―none of which were fruitful. Taking inspiration from Spain's croqueta, I whipped up a small batch of thickened bèchamel sauce, made with a higher proportion of butter and flour, and mixed in my potatoes. Once fried, that test came closest to my ideal: rich potato croquettes with soft, creamy centers. 

Switching to Yukon Golds proved to be another improvement; their fuller flavor and tendency towards creaminess pairs well with béchamel. To make the mash, I simply season boiled and mashed Yukon Golds with melted butter, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper for a little bit of kick (which I’ve made optional in the recipe below), then fold in the béchamel sauce. I like my potato croquettes as-is, but you can easily add spices, like cumin or paprika, for warmth and complexity, finely chopped chives or parsley for bright freshness, and cubed cheese―gruyère, mozzarella, or cheddar―for that gooey factor (just be sure to tuck a cube or two into the center of each croquette, as opposed to folding shredded cheese into the mixture, to avoid blowouts and burning). 

Once the filling’s made, you can start to shape. I call for small rounds for the sake of convenience; it's faster than coaxing each individual spoonful into a neat cylinder, though you can certainly make them into logs if you want. After shaping, a stint in the refrigerator chills and firms up the rounds, helping the croquettes keep their shape during the breading process. I found that using panko breadcrumbs that had been finely ground in a food processor produces golden, crunchy croquettes. 

Finished with a sprinkle of salt, these crisp, creamy potato croquettes are a delight when served warm as an appetizer, a side dish, or by themselves as a late afternoon snack paired with wine or a cold beer.