I’ve been making these little cuties at home for a couple of years now and they always go down a treat with friends and family as casual pre dinner snack, picnic basket filler or Friday night in front of the TV indulgence. The fact that this recipe combines two of my all time favourite ingredients i.e. goats cheese and coriander is a pure fluke …… honest!
(fluffy pillows of love aka Croquettes)
INGREDIENTS:
(makes approx 25-30 individual Croquettes)
10 medium size Desiree potatoes (washed and towel dry)
140g Goats Cheese – only use a good quality marinated Goats Cheese
1 bunch coriander – pick the leaves and roughly chop
2 eggs – whisk until fluffy
Plain Flour
Salt and Pepper
Brookfarm Lime and Chilli Infused Macadamia oli for frying
Lemons for garnish
AIOLI:
3 egg yolks – organic
1 garlic clove – finely minced – please don’t be tempted to used crushed garlic in a jar
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 lemons – juice only
Salt and white pepper
150-200ml Gwydir Grove Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
METHOD:
- preheat your oven to 180 Celsius
- place your potatoes directly onto your oven rack – place in the oven for approx 1 hour OR until cooked through i.e. when you poke the potato with a fork it easily goes straight through the potato
- meanwhile you can prepare your aioli
- I mostly prefer to use a whisk to make my aioli – though you can use a Breville stick mixer if your prefer (it is quicker and you are much less likely to split the mayonnaise / aioli) – place the egg yolks, garlic and mustard in the plastic jug – place the stick mixer in the jug and blend until the egg mixture becomes light and fluffy
- gradually add the lemon juice and blend until the lemon juice is fully incorporated – slowly drizzle in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil – it is very important to slowly drizzle in the oil so you don’t split the mayonnaise
- I like my mayonnaise / aioli to be firm – allowing it to sit proudly on the plate – you just need to make sure you add enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to reach a thick consistency – if it is too thick add a splash of warm water to loosen it up – if it is not thick enough add more Olive Oil
- check the seasoning add salt and more lemon juice if needed – you basically want enough lemon juice to give a crisp lemon / garlic flavour in your aioli – cover and place in the fridge until ready to use
- now back to the Croquettes; once the potatoes are cooked – carefully remove the potatoes from the oven using a pair of tongs
- using two tea towels folded over to protect your hands – cut each potato in half with a knife and scoop out the hot potato into mixing bowl – discard the potato skins
- once you have scooped out all the potatoes – add some salt and pepper – use a hand mash utensil and mash the potatoes until they are completely smooth – you need to do this quickly whilst the potatoes are still hot
- place your goats cheese into the bowl and mash through thoroughly
- then add your coriander, eggs and 5 tablespoons of flour – using a wooden spoon or spatula combine the mixture together until it comes into a rough ball and doesn’t look or feel sticky
- turn the mixture onto a floured surface and add more flour if needed until your Croquette mixture easily comes together and does not stick to your hands – you may need to add anything up to 3-6 more tablespoons of flour (potatoes hold different amounts of moisture depending on their age / time of the year)
- separate the mixture into 3-4 smaller portions – lightly flour your bench – and roll out the mixture into a long sausage shape – as your would if you were making gnocchi (if you are not confident doing this simply roll the mixture into small balls then gently make into a Croquette shape using your hands) – cut the approx 4-5 centimetre logs – place on a floured tray and place into the fridge to cool completely (if you try and fry now the Croquette will not hold it’s shape in the fry pan)
- once completely cold – remove the Croquettes from the fridge – lightly flour with plain flour
- heat a non stick frypan to high/medium heat – add your Brookfarm Lime and Chilli Infused Oil and shallow fry in batches until golden on all side – you may need to turn the fry pan heat down to avoid the Croquettes burning – remove to a tray that has been lined with kitchen towel – lightly salt once out of the fry pan – continue cooking in batches until all the Croquettes have been cooked
(roughly chop the coriander – so it holds its colour and shape)
TIPS:
- if you live in Byron Bay, I’d highly recommend using Nimbin Valley Dairy Goats Cheese – alternatively Meredith Dairy Goats Cheese is pretty awesome too!
- you’ll have probably noticed that I’ve not used breadcrumbs on the outside of the Croquettes – I’ve done this intentionally as I find them lighter to eat without the breadcrumbs – you can certainly add the breadcrumbs before frying though if you’d like
- adding the goats cheese first and mixing through will help the mixture cool slightly – this is important to do before you add the coriander and eggs
- using a good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil like Gwydir Grove is key to a totally moorish aioli
- don’t let the oil get too hot when you are shallow frying the Croquette – turn down to medium if need be
- try not to overwork the potato mixture as it will feel firm when you eat it – rather than light fluffy awesomeness
- you can make the mixture the day before and shallow fry just before your guests arrive
- once shallow fried the Croquettes are suitable for freezing – reheat once defrosted
- you can substitute the flour for gluten free flour no problem
- you can also add fried bacon or grated zucchini to the mixture for a little something different
(cut your potatoes in half with a knife and scoop out the hot potato into your mixing bowl)
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
- serve with your aioli is a separate bowl and lemon cheeks for garnish
- works really well with a cold large, chardonnay or reisling
- serve warm if you are at home OR at room temperature if you are at a picnic
(we like serving the Croquettes on a big plate so everyone can help themselves)
We’d love to see you and your family and friends enjoying your homemade Croquettes, please hashtag #mytastebyronbay on Instagram so we can see your gorgeous recreations of our recipe.
Check out our latest YouTube video for more Taste Byron Bay food adventures!
Enjoy!
T xxx
