Chorizo Potato Croquettes

Think of these as creamy smooth mashed potatoes mixed with browned spicy smokey chorizo and melted queso fresco cheese inside of a crispy crunchy shell.  In college when I made jam thumbprint cookies with my friends Jess and Cody, I called the shortbread balls “little balls of love” and danced around the kitchen.  Sadly for those cookies, they have been dethroned, because these chorizo potato croquettes are the NEW little balls of love.  They are insanely delicious and you NEED to make them.  Here’s how:

Makes 30 croquettes, serves 6-10

Ingredients:
2 lbs russet potatoes
1/2 lb fresh chorizo sausage
3/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
3 eggs, divided
2 cups italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper
vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:
Peel the potatoes, then roughly chop them into large chunks.  Place them in a big pot of water, and generously season the water with salt.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes, until fork tender.  Drain the potatoes and spread them out on a sheet pan.  Mash them well with a fork.
Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat.  While that heats up, remove the chorizo sausage from the casing, and when properly heated, add the chorizo to the pan.  Brown the chorizo for about 5 minutes, until fully cooked through.

In a large mixing bowl, stir to combine the mashed potatoes, chorizo, and queso fresco.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in 1 egg.
Use a 1.5 Tbsp disher to portion out balls, and shape them with your hand.  Set them out on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (and up to overnight), so they don’t fall apart when we fry them.
Set up a breading station with the bread crumbs in one dish and the other two eggs in the other.  Whisk to blend the eggs, and season with salt and pepper.  Roll each ball in the egg, let the excess drip off, then dip it in the bread crumbs.

Heat up a deep fryer (or a big stockpot with a couple inches of oil) to 375 degrees F.  Fry the croquettes for exactly 3 minutes, then let them drain on a paper towel.  Enjoy!  I suggest serving it with some sort of spicy aioli, if you’re feeling up for making one!

Click here for the printable recipe.