Theo Randall's potato and Parmesan croquettes recipe
Italian cooking maestro Theo Randall says: "I recently made these as canapés at a function I was doing. The guests were drinking Champagne, these went out and the plates kept coming back empty with the waiting staff asking for more. For any chef a clean plate is the best compliment – everyone loved them. You can make these canapé-sized for a party or golf-ball-sized for scoffing at home; either way they are delicious. Make sure the mashed potato is really dry when you add the cream and butter; if the potato is too wet it will make the croquettes harder to cook and eat."
Ingredients
- 800 g Désirée or Cyprus potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
- 50 ml double (heavy) cream
- 75 g butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with a little sea salt
- 75 g Parmesan, grated
- 2 eggs, each beaten in a separate bowl
- 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 100 g dried breadcrumbs
- 100 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 200 ml sunflower oil
- 1 pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges to serve
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Canapé
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Tip the potatoes into a large saucepan with 1 teaspoon of sea salt and cover them with cold water. Place the pan over a medium heat and cook the potatoes for about 25 minutes, or until a knife goes through them easily.
- Drain and allow them to steam dry in the colander for at least 2 minutes, then tip the potatoes into a bowl and bash them with a whisk until the potato has become finely mashed. Set aside.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the butter and garlic. Bring the cream to a simmer, then pour this over the mashed potato. Beat with the whisk until the mash is very smooth and creamy.
- Add the parmesan and one of the beaten eggs and mix to combine, then stir through the chopped parsley and check the seasoning. Leave to cool to room temperature.
- Once cool, take a tablespoonful of the mixture and shape it into a golf-ball-sized ball, then gently push the potato down to shape it into a round but flat puck. Repeat until you have used up the mixture. Place the potato pucks on a tray and chill them in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Place the breadcrumbs on a large plate, the flour on another and the remaining beaten egg in a shallow bowl. Take a potato puck and first coat it in the flour, then the beaten egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Place the coated puck back on the tray and repeat with the remainder.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat until the oil is shiny but not smoking. Carefully lower three breaded pucks into the hot oil and cook them for about 5 minutes, until they are a nice, golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and place them on a tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Repeat this process, frying 3 croquettes at a time, until you have cooked them all.
- Keep them warm in a low oven and serve them with lemon wedges and a little sea salt for sprinkling over.
This recipe is extracted from The Italian Pantry by Theo Randall (Quadrille, £26.00). Photography © Lizzie Mayson.
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