What are croquettes? Think mash potato, stuffed with cheese, breaded and deep fried. It’s crispy, cheesy and an absolute indulgence. They’re a bit messy to make, definitely hands on, but they are so worth it and easy to make. And whether you’re an adult or a kid, you’ll definitely enjoy making and eating these.

Why This Recipe Works

After testing multiple variations, I’ve found that the combination of well-seasoned potatoes and the right cheese-to-potato ratio creates the perfect croquette. The three-step breading process ensures a crispy exterior that seals in the cheesy goodness.

Understanding Key Components

The Potato Base

The Potato: The foundation of perfect croquettes starts with properly prepared mashed potatoes. It’s essentially mashed up boiled potatoes that are then seasoned. You can definitely play around with the seasonings and spices. I kept it simple with this recipe and stuck to the good old garlic and onion powder, salt, pepper and parsley.

• Use a potato ricer for a smooth mash
• Seasoned throughout, potatoes need salt and they’re a blank canvas for all your spices
• You can add a little bit of flour for some structure, optional
• Temperature control crucial so that the cheese melts and the panko doesn’t burn.
• Potato variety you could use: Yukon Gold, Russets
• Mix and match different types of herbs is also a great option.

The Cheese: Mozzarella is the way to go if you want the stretchiest cheese pull. If you want a stronger bite, try mixing half cheddar, half mozzarella. Camembert is also another great option. The cheese must be fully enclosed before frying.

Breading: Proper breading technique is needed to ensure crispy results:

• Flour first for adhesion
• Beaten eggs for binding
• Panko for crunch. Panko is Japanese breadcrumbs that has a different texture to normal breadcrumbs. The crumbs are a lot larger and flakier, which results in a crispy breading when fried. You can find this at Asian grocery stores. If you cannot find this, substitute this for regular breadcrumbs

Tips!

• Oil hands when shaping your croquettes to prevent potato from sticking to your hands.
• Ensure that the cheese is fully enclosed by the potato mixture, we do not want the cheese to ooze out during frying.
• Maintain consistent size for even cooking
• Use thermometer to ensure oil temperature is appropriate for frying: 350-375F or 180-190C
• Don’t overcrowd when frying, otherwise the temperature of your oil will drop which will lead to a soggier breading.
• Drain on paper towel or wired rack to remove excess oil
• Let cool slightly before serving

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

• Potato mixture can be made ahead of time and left refrigerated for up to 2 days.
• You could stuff with cheese and prepare un-breaded croquettes ahead of time, leave refrigerated
• Bread before frying
• Fry fresh before serving

Remember: Success comes from proper potato preparation and careful assembly. Take your time with the breading process!

Ingredients

4 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
2-3 tbsp parsley, minced
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
Mozzarella cheese, cubed
Panko
Flour
Egg

Method

1. In a pot, add in your potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
2. Once cooked, drain transfer to a bowl. Add in parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
3. Grab a ball of the potato mixture and press in a cheese cube in the centre (oil your hands if needed). Make sure the cheese cube is completely covered by the potato mixture. Repeat until all the potato mixture is gone.
4. Breading: coat the balls into the flour, followed by egg and lastly panko breadcrumbs.
5. Deep fry until golden. Leave to cool slightly, sprinkle over more parsley and flaky sea salt. Serve.