Leftovers croquettes
- Prepare
- over 2 hours
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Makes 12
- Dietary
- Nut-free
Bored of bubble and squeak? These indulgent croquettes are a great way to give Christmas leftovers new life.
Each serving provides 114 kcal, 6.4g protein, 9.8g carbohydrate (of which 1.5g sugars), 5.3g fat (of which 3g saturates), 0.7g fibre and 0.25g salt.
By Martyn Odell
Ingredients
- 20g/¾oz butter
- 20g/¾oz flour, plus 2 tbsp for coating
- 200ml/7fl oz milk
- 80g/3oz leftover hard cheese (such as cheddar, red Leicester or manchego) or grated mozzarella
- 300g/10½oz leftover roast vegetables, potatoes and meat (such as turkey or ham), roughly chopped
- 1 free-range egg
- 100g/3½oz breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low–medium heat. Stir in 20g/¾oz flour and cook for 1–2 minutes. Pour in the milk, whisking until you have a thick sauce. The key is to make the mixture wet enough that it is gooey, but stiff enough that it holds its shape (like thick yoghurt).
Fold through the cheese and the leftover roast ingredients. Taste and season with salt and pepper (some cheeses are very salty so you might not need much salt).
Transfer the mixture to the fridge for a couple of hours, or until it is firm enough to shape.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour to a wide bowl. Whisk the egg in another bowl and add the breadcrumbs to a third bowl.
With clean hands or using two spoons, shape the mixture into balls (about the size of a golf ball), then flatten or roll each slightly to make a barrel shape. You can pop them in the freezer for 1–2 hours to firm up at this stage, which will make them easier to handle when you add the breadcrumb coating, but isn't essential.
Coat each croquette in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs.
Preheat a deep-fat fryer to 170C (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Alternatively heat the oil in a large deep saucepan to 170C on a cook's thermometer (or until a cube of bread turns brown within 2 minutes when added to the oil).
Fry the croquettes for 4–5 minutes until golden brown. You will probably need to do this in batches unless your fryer is very large – it's important not to overcrowd the pan (as the croquettes will take a long time to cook and become greasy rather than crisp). Serve warm.
