Give Me Five: Cranberry and feta croquettes

I’m a big fan of mashed potato. It’s the ultimate comfort food. And if you take that mash and turn it into crunchy, fried croquettes, it elevates it to a whole new level. Croquettes are divine.

You can make plain potato croquettes or hide something delicious inside. They’re the perfect dish to make with all of your Christmas or Sunday dinner leftovers. I sometimes add chicken or turkey to the mash; just blitz it in the food processor first and stir it into the potato.

There are so many different variations of the croquette. Use half sweet potato mash and stuff with chorizo or fill with a little Parma ham and mozzarella wrapped in basil.

The basic formula is mashed potato filled with a highly flavoured meat or relish, paired with a salty, full-flavoured cheese that melts and oozes from the croquette once bitten in to. It’s messy food but worth it.

There’s no neat way to coat the little potato cylinders in flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs without feeling like you’ve been dipped in golden syrup and feathers yourself. Just make sure you have everything prepared and at hand before you begin.

I’ve been adding cranberry sauce to everything lately. So much so that we will be lucky if there is any left for Christmas dinner. It tastes amazing with anything salty, such as ham, cheese or drier meats such as turkey. It’s fantastic in sandwiches – especially toasted – and delicious with a Sunday roast chicken.

For these croquettes I’ve paired the cranberry sauce with salty chunks of feta. You could use a smoother brie or some goat’s cheese too. Ardsallagh makes a very tasty pinwheel of goat’s cheese and cranberry; it’s the perfect festive addition to the teatime table. Simply serve with some nice crackers. I love Sheridans’s range of crackers, and Foods of Athenry makes really nice, crisp toasts that are great to have in the house at this time of year and are gluten-free, too.

If you’re not using leftover mash and are cooking potatoes especially for these croquettes – and that is worth doing – then make your mash as dry as possible. Don’t be tempted to add milk. A little butter and plenty of black pepper and salt is enough.

A ricer is fantastic for making fluffy mash. Otherwise use a potato masher, but don’t use a stick blender or food processor as it will turn the mash to glue. Feel free to add a little finely chopped thyme to the potato.

I make these croquettes quite big due to the filling, but you can make smaller ones if you prefer. They’re great finger food and make a lovely, simple supper served with some green leaves or a few slices of turkey or ham.

CROQUETTES: MAKES 6-8 The five ingredients

• 700g mashed potatoes
• 1 large egg
• 100g breadcrumbs
• Cranberry sauce
• Feta cheese

From the pantry

• Plain flour
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Oil

Method

Season the mashed potato with salt and black pepper.

Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl, and the seasoned flour in another.

Whisk the egg with a splash of water in a third shallow bowl.

Get a large tablespoon of the potato and flatten it slightly in the palm of your hand, place a nugget of feta and half a teaspoon of cranberry sauce on top, then fold over the sides to encase the filling. Repeat with the remaining mash.

Roll each croquette in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in egg wash, then roll in breadcrumbs.

In a heavy-to-medium saucepan, heat 1½ inches of oil over a medium-high heat. Fry the croquettes in batches until golden brown (about two minutes per batch).

Drain on paper towels. Serve, while still piping hot, with green leaves and some more cranberry sauce.

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