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Ham and Cheese Croquettes (with air fryer option)

ham and cheese croquettes on a plate with side of aioli for dipping

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5 from 2 reviews

Croquettes are little fried bites filled with a delicious mixture of ham, melty cheese, and mashed potato. They're crunchy on the outside, creamy and cheesy on the inside, and easy to eat with your hands. You can choose to fry them in a pan or in the air fryer. 

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Filling

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 small onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup leftover, store bought, or prepared instant mashed potatoes
  • 2 oz. prosciutto or Serrano ham, diced or torn into small pieces, divided

For the Croquettes

  • Flour (to coat hands)
  • 2 eggs + 2 teaspoons water
  • 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 3 oz. fontina cheese, cut into 12 small cubes
  • Vegetable oil for frying (or vegetable oil spray for air fryer method)
  • Aioli for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Make the filling: In a medium skillet, add the butter and minced onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and flour and cook for 1 minute. Then, slowly add the milk a little bit at a time, and then add mashed potatoes. Mix until smooth, then remove the pan from the heat, and mix in half of the diced ham (1 oz.) Chill well before breading (the filling mixture will thicken in the refrigerator). 

Notes

  • When forming the croquettes, it's less sticky/ messy if the mixture is very well chilled, so you can put them back in the fridge at any point and continue the process once they are cold. It also helps to lightly coat your hands with flour.
  • I chose to mix in half of the ham and use half for stuffing to make sure there’s ham in every bite. If you’d rather not deal with the stuffing part, you can mix all of the ham into the dough, and grate the cheese rather than cut into cubes and mix that in too. That's a little bit easier, you just won’t get the oozy cheese mozzarella stick aspect.