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Belgian Potato Croquettes

Fried potato croquettes made with mashed potatoes, a roux, eggs, and butter, served hot.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Potato and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,052 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Belgian Potato Croquettes

Oven170C, 325F, Gas Mark 3
Time15-20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the potato base

  1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with salted water, bring to the boil then cook for 15-20 minutes until soft.

  2. Drain the potatoes well, return to the pan and mash with a fork or potato masher.

  3. Set aside.

Make the choux paste

  1. In another saucepan, mix together the water, butter, salt and nutmeg. Bring to the boil then stir in the flour and reduce the heat a little.

  2. Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 3 minutes.

  3. Remove from the heat and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat the mixture until smooth and shiny.

  4. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.

Fry and serve

  1. Preheat the deep fat fryer to 180C, 350F and preheat the oven to 170C, 325F, Gas Mark 3.

  2. Drop tablespoons of the potato mixture into the oil. Flatten each croquette with the back of the spoon.

  3. Cook for a few minutes until crisp and golden, turning once or twice. You will need to do this in batches.

  4. Drain the croquettes well on kitchen paper.

  5. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining croquettes.

  6. Serve hot.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

927Calories
24 gProtein
32 gFat
134 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Potato1 medium (173g) baked161
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Potato + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,052 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,623 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together124,287 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Potato + buttertop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,456 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Potato + flourtop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,355 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Potatoes
Provide the bulk of the filling, giving a soft, moist, fluffy interior.
Plain flour
Forms the starch and gluten structure that holds the paste together as a ball.
Eggs
Bind the paste and set during frying, giving the croquettes structure and richness.
Butter
Adds fat for richness and a tender texture in the paste.

The step that matters

Adding the eggs one at a time. Beating each egg in fully before adding the next lets the paste emulsify and become smooth and glossy. Adding them all at once can split the mixture, making it loose and hard to shape.

Swap the potato

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, nutmeg, flour, egg):

  1. Shallotfits better
  2. Chivefits better
  3. Leekfits better
  4. Potatothe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, nutmeg, flour, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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