Potato Croquettes

You will also need:

1. A pot that’s big enough to boil the potatoes.
2. A dishtowel.
3. A paring knife
4. A food mill fitted with the large-holed plate…if your mill comes with several plates with different sized holes.
5. A large bowl.
6. A small bowl.
7. A handheld electric mixer or whisk.
8. A large, deep pot for deep frying.
9. A deep fry or candy thermometer.
10. A slotted spoon.
11. A baking sheet lined with brown paper bags or paper towels.

Making the croquettes:

1. Fill a pot with salted water. Add the whole, unpeeled potatoes and bring them to a boil over medium heat. Cook them until they are tender. For large potatoes this will take 35-40 minutes but you can check them with a fork to make sure. When they are fork tender drain them and peel them while they are still hot. (Cradling a hot potato in a dishtowel in one hand as you peel it with the other will get the job done without burning your hands.)
2. Run the potatoes through the food mill into a large bowl. Set them aside to cool to room temperature…for, perhaps 30 minutes.
3. Separate the egg, placing the white in a small bowl and adding the yolk into the cooled potatoes. Mix the yolk into the potatoes, along with the butter, flour, salt and nutmeg.
4. Beat or whisk the egg white until it is frothy. Spread out dried bread crumbs on a plate. Place the bowl of egg white and the plate of crumbs out on your work area.
5. Knead the potato mixture briefly with your hands. Form the mixture into 14 golf ball sized balls and shape the balls into cylinders. There are photos of the shaped croquettes on the related link.
6. Bread the croquettes: Dip each in the egg white and then roll it in the bread crumbs. Place them as they are breaded on a plate or baking sheet.
7. Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep pot so that the croquettes will float freely as they fry. Heat the oil to 350 F, monitoring the temperature with the candy thermometer. When the oil is at 350 F carefully lower 4 croquettes one at a time into the oil with a slotted spoon, and fry them, turning them occasionally with the spoon, until they are golden brown. This will take only a few minutes.
8. With the slotted spoon, remove the croquettes to the brown paper or paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
9. Bring the oil back to 350 F before adding the next 4 croquettes for frying. Continue frying the rest of the croquettes in the same manner and serve them hot.

This recipe makes 14 croquettes.

A note and an acknowledgement: The croquettes in the photo are served with Orange Remoulade Sauce, the recipe for which is also on the related link. The croquettes recipe is adapted from one on the bavariankitchen.com website, a source for many good Bavarian and other traditional German dishes.