Gastrogays’ Chorizo Potato Croquettes

Makes about 8-12 croquettes

To celebrate #nationalpotatoday on 6th October, gastrogays.com brings you these delicious Chorizo & Potato Croquettes using our Newgrange Gold Smokey Rapeseed Oil.

For the Croquettes

  • 2 baking potatoes (or 2 large Maris Piper potatoes)
  • 150g cooked chorizo, diced (we use Gubbeen from West Cork)
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 3 spring onions, finely sliced
  • A small handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 150g panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • flour
  • milk
  • butter
  • salt & pepper
  • 3-4 tbsp Newgrange Gold Rapeseed Oil, to fry

For the saffron aioli

  • One clove of garlic
  • 2 free-range egg yolks
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • A pinch of saffron
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Fresh black pepper
  • Coarse sea salt
  • A dash of white wine vinegar
  • Newgrange Gold Smokey rapeseed oil

1. To begin, carefully pierce the potatoes with a sharp knife the whole way round. Wrap the potatoes snugly in parchment paper, and place into a microwave for 10 minutes on high.

2. Check they’re fully cooked, again by piercing with a knife and leave to cool for about 3-5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, while the potatoes cook away, prepare your ingredients. Slice the chorizo in half, then slice each half into thirds and dice up into extra small chunks – you don’t want them too big!

4. Using a spoon, scoop out the potato filling and place into a large bowl. Season generously with salt & pepper and add in a splash of milk and butter and mash together along with the paprika and mustard. Add in the diced chorizo, spring onions, herbs and using a wooden spoon, give it a mighty stir. If it feels too heavy, add a few more splashes of milk. But remember, the outcome you want is pliable, relatively solid mash.

5. Elsewhere, it’s time to get your breading and coating station ready. Place a good helping of flour into one bowl, crack and egg and whisk together in another, and place the panko in another. If we have any to hand, we add some fresh dried breadcrumbs to the mix, or alternatively some golden breadcrumbs from a can, just for extra colour and coverage, though it’s not essential.

6. There are two styles of croquettes which you can make here- cylinders or balls. One is very traditional and slightly easier to cook (cylinders), while the other is more continental but a touch tempermental to fry off. The choice is yours. Whatever you choose, roll about a tablespoon and a half of the mixture into the shape you desire- you can decide what size is best from experience. Dip first into the flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip into the egg, then pop into the panko breadcrumbs. Liberally shower the croquette in the mix, almost burying it in the breadcrumbs. Roll around and ensure that it’s covered. Repeat for each.

7. On a medium setting, heat a small frying pan with 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil, or general cooking oil of your choosing. Cook 3-5 of the croquettes at a time, leaving for about 60-90 seconds before proceeding to turn over. You may need to repeat this around 4-5 times to ensure each side is cooked. If cooking cylinder shapes, try to push the ends gently against the wall of the pan to try and get a bit more colour on the sides, or spoon a bit of the hot oil on them as it cooks.

8. When cooked, place on some kitchen paper for a few moments to absorb excess oil. Depending on how many batches you need to make, you may need to add 1/2 tablespoon extra of oil to the pan, as the breadcrumbs will take on a bit of it in the cooking process.

9. Serve warm, with a simple salad, a mayonnaise or our garlic and saffron aioli