Cheesy Potato Croquettes

A great appetizer for a small party.

Cheesy Potato Croquettes
Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christina Daley
Active Time:
1 hrs
Total Time:
3 hrs 10 mins
Servings:
8

Prepare the frying oil. There's no better way to start a party than with fried potatoes and cheese.

With three different types of cheese—Parmesan, mozzarella, and sharp Cheddar—these Cheesy Potato Croquettes certainly live up to their name. The soft interior means that these fried bites practically melt in your mouth, but the crispy, crunchy coating gives delivers plenty of textural contrast. This recipe was designed for your Hannukah celebration; you can even recycle the frying oil night after night to make more of our favorite Hannukah treats, like Mini Sweet Potato Latkes or Arancini with Pomodoro Dipping Sauce.

Our Test Kitchen has a few tips to help you achieve light, fluffy, and crispy potato croquettes. Allowing the boiled potatoes to cool slightly before passing them through the ricer lets steam escape, preventing the croquettes from becoming gummy. Using a ricer to mash the potatoes produces a very smooth, fine texture; a potato masher would work here, too, but make sure to mash the potatoes very well. Briefly chilling the breaded croquettes allows the panko to draw out any residual moisture in the potato mixture and helps the breading to stick to the croquette.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium russet potatoes (about 3 lbs. total), peeled and quartered

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 2 tablespoons potato flour

  • ¾ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated with a Microplane grater (about ½ cup)

  • 2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (½ cup)

  • 2 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (½ cup)

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

  • 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs

  • Canola oil

  • Thinly sliced chives

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add potatoes, and cook until fork-tender, about 18 to 20 minutes. Drain potatoes, and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Press potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl (or mash thoroughly with a potato masher); chill, uncovered, until cold, about 1 hour. Using your hands, gently stir in egg, potato flour, Parmesan, mozzarella, Cheddar, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper until well combined. Scoop potato mixture, and shape into 20 (3-inch) patties (about ¼ cup per patty).

  2. Place panko in a medium bowl. Working with 1 patty at a time, gently press into panko to coat completely, and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill, uncovered, for 30 minutes (this will help the panko stick to the patties).

  3. Pour canola oil to a depth of ½ inch in a large skillet; heat oil over medium to 350°F. Working in 5 batches, add croquettes to hot oil, and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and immediately season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm in a 200°F oven. Allow oil to return to 350°F between batches. Garnish hot croquettes with chives, and serve immediately.

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