POTATO & CHEESE CROQUETTES

MAKES 16

I PREFER TO MAKE THESE croquettes with dense potatoes like Yukon Gold, Russian Bananas, or German Butterballs. These super-delicious cheesy bites are best eaten just as they’re made, so I make them at home as a pre-dinner snack. This version shows off the tangy, semisoft Reading cheese from Vermont; Gruyère is fine, too. Experiment! Try stirring herbs, sautéed corn, other vegetables like caramelized onions, or even smoked fish into the potato mixture.

1½ pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered

Salt

¾ cup flour

3 eggs, whisked

1 cup panko or dried bread crumbs

Grapeseed or peanut oil for frying

1 cup grated Gruyère

2 egg yolks

Pinch grated nutmeg

Pepper

Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water by about 2 inches. Add salt and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, put ½ cup of the flour, whisked eggs, and panko or bread crumbs into 3 separate shallow bowls.

Drain the potatoes, toss in the pan for about a minute to dry them out, then pass them through a ricer or food mill into a large bowl. Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F in a medium saucepan, then add the remaining ¼ cup flour, cheese, yolks, nutmeg, and pepper to the potatoes and stir well to combine.

Scoop 2 rounded tablespoons of the potato mixture into your hand, shape into an oval, and set on a plate. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, then bread each one, first by dusting with flour, shaking off any excess, then dipping into the beaten eggs, and then coating with panko.

When the oil is hot, fry the croquettes in batches, turning occasionally. They’re done as soon as they turn golden brown on the outside, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.