Margarita's International Recipes

Belgian



Aardappel Kroketjes

Potato Croquettes


Potato Croquettes

Aardappel Kroketjes are (at least according to epicurious.com) a Christmas tradition in Belgium, so of course I had to make them for my Belgian Christmas dinner. Unfortunately I didn't read the recipe before Christmas Eve so I found myself without a lot of the equipment required to make them. I had to improvise! Instead of passing the potatoes through a ricer or food mill, I mashed them with a potato masher (at least, that's what I think that round implement with wholes is). Instead of deep-frying them in 3" of oil, I pour maybe ½" and flattened the croquettes, and instead of pouring them through a pastry bag, I just scooped them into the oil. They may not have looked authentic - but they tasted great! Indeed, this was the most acclaimed dish of the evening. There is a link to the original recipe below, but if you want to save yourself some trouble you can just make mine. I know I will again.



Potato Croquettes

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly and peel.

If you have a ricer or a food mill, pass the potatoes through it. Otherwise, mash it with a fork or a potato masher. Measure 2 cups of mashed potatoes.

Combine water, butter, salt and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium and beat with a wooden spoon until the paste pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the eggs, 1 at the time, beating aftereach one. Beat the mixture until smooth and shiny.

Add the 2 cups of mashed potatoes and mix well.

Heat oil on high in a deep frying pan. Scoop mixture with a large tablespoon and drop into the oil, flatten each croquette with the back of the spoon. Cook until crisp and golden, turn and repeat. Transfer to paper towels, dry and serve.

Adapted from a recipe at epicurious.com


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