Colcannon Croquettes & Cashew Cream

A note regarding timing: The prepared potato and greens mixture requires some time to refrigerate, at least 4 hours or up to overnight. So plan ahead!

For the potatoes:
Fill a large pot two thirds of the way full with water and add in the potatoes. Cover the pot and put the heat on high. After about 15 minutes, the water should start to boil. Once it hits a boil, cook for about 15 minutes more, or until fork tender.

Drain the potatoes very well in a colander, and return them to the warm pot. This will evaporate more of the residual water on the potatoes. Add the coconut oil, and hand-mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the remaining ingredients for the potatoes and mix well. Set aside.

For the greens:
While the potatoes cook, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add in the olive oil, then about half of the beet greens. Let the first batch of greens wilt a bit before adding the garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and the rest of the beet greens. Cook until all the greens have wilted, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the assembly:
Add the greens in with the potatoes, and mix well, ensuring that there are no clumps of beet greens. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.

Line a cookie sheet with plastic wrap, and when the mixture is cool, divide the mixture into 12 equal patties and set the patties on the sheet.

In a shallow bowl, mix the flax meal and warm water. In a second shallow bowl, add the breadcrumbs. You can do one cup of breadcrumbs at a time, if you have small bowls. Carefully dip a patty into the flax meal. I used a fork to help turn it over. Once coated with the flax mixture, carefully dip into the panko bread crumbs. Return to the lined cookie sheet, and repeat for the remaining patties.

For the lemon basil cashew cream:
Place all ingredients except the basil into a blender, and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the chopped basil. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Frying the patties:
Heat a skillet to medium high, and add one cup of vegetable oil. Bring the oil temperature to 350°F, or until the base of a wooden spoon bubbles when you stick it into the oil. Add in a few of the potato patties (croquettes), but don’t crowd the pan. Cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove cooked patties to a paper towel lined plate. Keep working in batches, adding more oil if necessary until all croquettes are fried up. Serve the croquettes on a pool of cashew cream, and garnish with lemon wedges and basil.

Notes:
After coating the croquettes with the breadcrumbs, you can either freeze them for up to a month, or keep them covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for three days max. If you’re not going to eat them all right away, I’d suggest doing the latter, and frying them up as you wish to eat them.