Croquettes (Dutch Kroketten)

These were one of my favourite treats in Holland and they have vending machines in the streets where you can get them all the time. They are not hard at all. Mix and match the fillings to your liking as long as your stuffing is not to sloppy they should turn out fine. Kroketten are sausage shaped and Bitterballen are small balls (like meatballs), the ingredients are the same, just the sahpe is different.

1¼ lb leftover meat, such as pork, chicken, turkey, cold and finely chopped (600 g)

Roux (Sauce):
1 onion, finely chopped
4 Tbsp. butter (60 g)
½ cup. all-purpose flour, unbleached (60 g)
2 cups stock (5 dL)
black pepper, freshly ground
kosher or sea salt
mace
nutmeg
thyme

Breading:
1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups plain breadcrumbs, if possible: paneermeel of fijn verkruimelde beschuit
sea salt
black pepper, freshly cracked

In a small saucepan, sauté the onions in butter. Stir in flour to make a paste and cook for 3 minutes while continually stirring. Then gradually mix in the stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce reduces. Add chopped meat and spices to your liking. Let teh ragout cool completely in the refrigerator or freeze it.

When cooled, use your hands to form either sticks (about 4x1¼", 10x3 cm) or balls (diameter 1½", 4 cm). Don’t make them too large, or they’ll have to be deep-fried too long. If necessary, return the formed kroketten to the refrigerator. It is easier to bread them when they are cold.

Cook the Kroketten:
Heat oil for deepfrying to 355°F (180°C). Fry the kroketten to a golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

To Serve:
Serve them really hot. If doing small batches, keep them warm in the oven.

In the Netherlands they are eaten as snack or appetizer, or as the main course with french fries and apple sauce. As an appetizer, the classic accompaniment to bitterballen and kroketten is Dijon mustard.

Makes 15-20 kroketten or 30-50 bitterballen appetizers.