Turkey Or Chicken & Mash Croquettes
"A delightful blend of ingredients that utilizes leftovers from your Thanksgiving or Chrstmas table. This recipe includes turkey, mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, etc. These little breaded dumplings are made for dunking into a sun-yellow, garlicky mayonnaise based aioli. If you have extra sweet potatoes lying around, feel free to swap them in, or even add a little mashed turnip or rutabaga to the mix. And if you make the aioli ahead of time, it’s heavenly on a toasted turkey sandwich with sharp cheddar, cranberry relish and lettuce."
Ingredients
- FOR SMOKEY AIOLI
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- FOR CROQUETTES
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Nutritional
- Serving Size: 1 (370.1 g)
- Calories 709.3
- Total Fat - 31.5 g
- Saturated Fat - 8.2 g
- Cholesterol - 205.2 mg
- Sodium - 1067.7 mg
- Total Carbohydrate - 73.6 g
- Dietary Fiber - 5.8 g
- Sugars - 10.2 g
- Protein - 35.2 g
- Calcium - 339.6 mg
- Iron - 5.2 mg
- Vitamin C - 57.9 mg
- Thiamin - 0.4 mg
Step by Step Method
TO MAKE THE SMOKEY AIOLI
Step 1
In a bowl, combine the lemon juice with the saffron threads (or smoked paprika) and the garlic. Whisk and let sit for a few minutes until the saffron has “bloomed” and bled into the lemon.
Step 2
Add the mayonnaise and olive oil, whisk to combine, season with salt and pepper and taste; add a pinch of sugar if needed.
TO MAKE THE CROQUETTES
Step 3
In a large skillet heat 2–3 tablespoons olive oil and add the onion and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and the pinch of sugar and cook slowly over low heat until soft and caramelized, about 20–30 minutes. Remove from the pan and chop the onions finely.
Step 4
In a large bowl, combine the caramelized onions, garlic powder (or fresh garlic) turkey, mashed potatoes, poultry seasoning, 2 beaten eggs, parsley, scallions, and thyme leaves. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix well to evenly distribute the ingredients. If the mix is too wet, add a sprinkle of flour and mix again to incorporate.
Step 5
Set up a breading station: 1 dish for the flour (seasoned with salt and pepper), 1 dish for the remaining egg, beaten, and 1 dish for the breadcrumbs and Parmigiano Reggiano. Have a parchment-lined baking sheet nearby to collect the croquettes as they’re made.
Step 6
Using wet hands, make small football-shaped dumplings from the turkey-mash mixture and roll each 1 first in flour, then in egg, then in cheesy breadcrumbs. Place them 1 by 1 on the baking sheet, and when all the turkey-mash mix is used up, refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to firm up a bit.
Step 7
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°F and heat 1/2 cup neutral oil in a shallow skillet (grapeseed oil preferred for its high smoke point).
NOTE: I usually cook up 1 or 2 croquettes to give it a taste, where I then adjust the seasonings of the turkey mixture to my liking. This prevents from forming and cooking up the whole batch, to then realize it was missing something.
Step 8
When the oil is hot, test it by tossing a bit of breadcrumb in; when it sizzles, the oil is ready—gently fry the croquettes in batches until golden brown, rolling them over as they crisp on all sides.
Step 9
Remove to the parchment-lined baking sheet when cooked and set them in the oven until all the croquettes are done to keep them hot.
Step 10
Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon, the saffron aïoli and some hot sauce, if you like.
Tips
No special items needed.