Lately, we’ve been hosting dinners for my boyfriend’s family who live nearby. It’s always a delight to have them over and to share our food made with love and care. Last weekend, my person cooked up some delicious and juicy crispy pork belly (recipe on this blog soon), while I took care of the appetizer (today’s recipe) and dessert (recipe coming up soon too).

I’ve always loved croquettes. Aside from being oh so appetizing, the surprises on the inside make them incredibly enjoyable to eat. For this recipe, I’ll be sharing how to make potato croquettes stuffed with bacon and cheese. For the filling, I used country bacon for a smoky hint and mozzarella for a fun cheese pull.

Yield: 4– 6 servings

Total time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized potatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 6–8 strips bacon (baked until crispy and broken into smaller bits)
• 10–12 small mozzarella cheese cubes (small enough to fit inside a golf ball-sized croquette)
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for deep frying

Instructions:

1. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.
2. Peel and slice the potatoes into quarters and add them to the pot.
3. Boil the potatoes for 10–15 minutes or until tender.
4. Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl.
5. Start mashing the potatoes.
6. Add the butter and continue mashing.
7. Add the milk in small amounts until the mashed potatoes are smooth but not too wet. If the mixture is too wet, it will be difficult to form the croquettes.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Allow the mashed potatoes to cool on the counter. Once cool enough, place the bowl inside the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
10. Prepare your assembly station: Beat the egg in a shallow dish, and place the flour and the breadcrumbs in their individual shallow dishes.
11. Take the mashed potatoes out of the fridge. Using an ice cream scoop, measure enough of the mixture to be able to form a ball the size of a golf ball.
12. Flatten the ball and place a cheese cube and some bacon bits in the middle. Fold and roll the mashed potato mixture into a ball again so that the bacon and cheese filling are completely hidden inside. Do the same with the remaining ingredients.
13. Once all mashed potato balls are done, you can start breading them. Cover the ball with flour first, dip it in the egg next, and finish off with the breadcrumbs. Do the same for the remaining balls and make sure each piece is completely covered.
14. Place all the assembled croquettes in the fridge for at least an hour. This will make them easier to handle and more stable during cooking.
15. Once ready to cook, take the chilled croquettes out of the fridge and let them sit on the counter while you fill your pan with enough oil to cover the croquettes.
16. Get the oil up to medium-high heat and start deep frying, making sure not to crowd the pan.
17. Fry for 5–10 minutes or until crispy and golden brown on the outside. Place the cooked croquettes on paper towels to remove excess oil.
18. Transfer them to a serving plate, serve with marinara sauce (or any dipping sauce of your choice), and enjoy!

Try this one out for your next dinner party. You really can’t go wrong with croquettes as appetizers, especially not when they are stuffed with everyone’s favorite bacon and cheese. Have fun cooking!