100g dried breadcrumbs (panko or homemade from stale bread)
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C
Fan/Gas 6. Scrub the potatoes,
pierce them with a fork and place
them on a baking tray. Bake in the
oven for 35-40 minutes until soft.
Slice open in a cross formation,
to allow the steam to escape.
When cool enough to handle,
scoop out the flesh and pass it
through a sieve, mouli or potato
ricer into a bowl. Set aside.
While the potatoes are baking,
make the cheese sauce. Put the milk in a small saucepan.
Gently bring to the boil over a low
heat. Melt the butter in a small
saucepan and add the flour and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring, over a low heat for around 1 minute (avoid letting
it brown). Add a ladle of the hot
milk and stir to combine. Continue
adding the milk a bit at a time until
you have a thick sauce. Bring to
a simmer, then mix in the cheese,
mustard and Worcestershire
sauce. Stir until melted. Cover and
remove from the heat.
Heat the 15g of butter in a frying
pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for around 10
minutes, until soft but not coloured.
Add the thyme, then add to the
sauce with the grated cheese.
Transfer to a large bowl. Add the
mashed potato and mix well. Chill
for 3 hours, until firm. Using wet
hands, form into balls, roughly 20g
each, and chill for 20 minutes.
While the croquettes are
chilling, pour enough vegetable oil
into a deep saucepan or deep-fat
fryer to come up to around 5cm
and place over a medium heat. If using a deep-fat fryer or if you
have a thermometer, heat the oil
to 170C. If not, to check the oil is at the right temperature, drop a 2-3cm cube of bread into the
hot oil – it should turn golden and
crisp in 1 minute.
While the oil heats, put the
crumb ingredients in 3 bowls.
Coat the croquettes in the flour,
then the egg, then a generous
coating of crumbs. Chill (on a tray) for 10 minutes.
Carefully lower a batch of
croquettes into the hot oil and fry
for 4 minutes, or until they rise to
the surface with a hissing sound.
Lift out carefully with a slotted
spoon, drain on kitchen paper
and serve hot. Repeat with the
remaining croquettes.
TIP: Don’t discard your potato
peelings. Toss them with a tsp of olive oil, then bake in
an oven preheated to 200C/
180 C Fan/Gas 6 for 8-12
minutes and serve with
harissa mayo for dipping.
Recipe and photography taken from Marcus Everyday by Marcus Wareing with Chantelle Nicholson. Photo by Susan bell (HarperCollins, £20)
