potato and chorizo croquettes

following on from a pierogi frenzy the previous day, i found myself with a reasonable amount of leftover potato and cheese mash. not being one for food wastage, my mind wandered back to a dinner out the week prior, where i'd enjoyed some particularly tasty potato and chorizo croquettes. this recipe is quick and easy to make, even quicker and easier to consume! perfect to take along to BBQs or parties, they're a great finger food or starter to a meal!

things you will need:

3 large potatoes
about a cup of grated tasty cheese
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
a stick of chorizo
oil for cooking (i used olive oil for the chorizo, vegetable oil for the croquettes)
3 eggs, beaten
breadcrumbs

what you will need to do:

peel and boil the potatoes until they're cooked through. drain the water and mash the potatoes thoroughly, then add the cheese, salt and pepper. do not add milk to this mash, the mixture needs to be thick and "dry" enough for you to fashion it into croquettes! leave the mash to stand and cool.
remove the casing from the chorizo and slice into pieces (better to err on the thin rather than thick side). heat the oil in a pan and lightly fry for about 4 to 5 minutes. remove from heat and pour contents of pan into the mash. stir to combine and let cool.

once cooled, use tablespoon sized amounts of mash mixture and fashion thick, short sausage shaped croquettes using your hands. you should end up with about 15 croquettes all up.

in a small bowl, beat the eggs and in another bowl or plate, pour out about a cup of breadcrumbs. coat each croquette in the egg mix, then roll in the breadcrumbs. repeat once for each croquette.

in a large pot or deep frying pan, pour enough oil so there's about 2cm of oil for frying. heat the oil and carefully (use a slotted spoon for this step!) place the croquettes into the hot oil. i'd recommend frying 3 or 4 at a time, any more and they can start to stick together and fall apart. fry the croquettes for a few minutes, turning regularly to achieve an even golden brown colour. place the croquettes onto a plate covered with kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil.

serve immediately, preferably with a smoky aioli.

potato and chorizo croquettes....

add breadcrumbs.....

and fry. the result is crispy and delicious!