Potato balls: how to do it right? Video
Potato balls, sometimes also called croquettes, are an amazingly delicious hot snack that can be either a gourmet delicacy or a convenient, hearty fast food. It all depends on the filling and the complexity of the recipe you choose.
Potato balls with minced meat
This is a simple and hearty dish that can be served either as a hot starter or as a main course. Such balls are often to the taste of children, sometimes even the most capricious in food. You will need: – 500 g of boiled potatoes; – 250 g of ground beef; – 1 head of onion; – 2 cloves of garlic; – 3 chicken eggs; – 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh coriander leaves; – 1 teaspoon of turmeric; – 1 teaspoon ground cumin; – 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds; – 1/2 teaspoon ground dill seeds; – a pinch of ground cloves; – 1 teaspoon wheat flour; – 3 teaspoons of bread crumbs; – 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; – finely ground salt; – vegetable oil for deep fat.
Instead of ground beef, you can use a mixture of beef and pork meat, ground chicken, turkey or rabbit meat.
Mash the peeled hot potatoes with a mallet into a smooth puree. Peel the onion and cut into small cubes, peel and chop the garlic. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the onions until translucent, add the garlic and saute until they start to smell. Add minced meat and grill, stirring occasionally, until it changes color. Break the minced meat into small pieces. In a small bowl, combine the turmeric, cardamom, cumin, fennel, and cloves and add to the sautéed minced meat. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, remove from heat and let cool.
In a large, deep bowl, combine mashed potatoes, 1 chicken egg, minced meat, coriander and a little salt and stir well. Sculpt small balls from the resulting mixture, place them on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and refrigerate for 1 hour or more. In a small bowl, beat the remaining eggs and add the flour to one bowl and the crumbs to the other. Dip the potato balls first in flour, then in an egg, then in bread crumbs. Deep-fry croquettes until golden brown and place on paper towels. Serve hot.
The gourmet potato appetizer, created especially for the French princes, is also essentially a version of the potato balls. For her you will need: – 500 g of peeled starchy potatoes; – 1 tablespoon of coarse sea salt; – 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; – 1/2 cup wheat flour; – 2 chicken eggs; – finely ground salt and ground black pepper; – deep fat oil.
Boil the potatoes in plenty of water and season with coarse sea salt. Preheat oven to 160 ° C. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and dry for 7-10 minutes. Purée by adding 1 egg. To make the choux pastry, place the finely diced butter, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, remove from heat, add flour and stir vigorously. Return the bowl of dough to the stove on low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly and add remaining egg. Combine the mashed potatoes with the choux pastry. Heat the oil for deep-frying, sculpt balls with a special spoon and dip them in hot oil. Fry the potato balls until they are plump and golden brown.