Croquettes with prosciutto and mozzarella

Potatoes...mhhh, good for any season. Here, in the country of meat and potatoes..and a salad on the side, a household can't survive without them. My dad always longs for them...when rice or pasta are served instead. Nothing else can qualify as a valuable substitute, despite my mom's effort. And he is always happy when called to the kitchen to mash his favorite ziemniaczki. That's his job.

I use potatoes not as a side dish but as an ingredient in a main one. I'm not fast, coordinated or patient enough in the kitchen yet to prepare 2-plus-course meals with side dishes on the right and on the left. 
But I'm fast, coordinated and patient to prepare croquettes...and a dessert. 

Like the other day. My sister with her little boy were coming to visit. So I planned. Planning a menu has become my morning behavior, together with drinking espresso and checking the latest blog stats. It paid off. I cooked the potatoes at 8 am, gave them plenty of time to loose the moisture by lunch time. As I was finishing the cake, my sister peeled the cooked potatoes and passed them through the press. Hania stuffed, formed and rolled the croquettes in eggs and bread crumbs (they are the size of an 11year-old hand). I quickly fried them, 2 minutes on each side (not a deep fry) and served them hot on a bed of green leaves sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. 

So much fun to eat, no forks necessary. And delicious. Delicate potato with a subtle taste of prosciutto and mozzarella. A perfect crust on the outside, moist and light in the middle with melted cheese and warm prosciutto in the core. They were there and then they were gone. I had to act fast and save the three above for the picture. That's OK, they taste as good 5 minutes later. Pass that time, I have no idea. 

Well, the croquettes have potatoes and meat and an optional salad. I have to make them for Dad sometimes.

Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 20 minutes (not counting the time to cook and cool potatoes)
makes about 10 pieces

ingredients

• 1.3 kg (3 lbs) whole potatoes, cooked (in water with no salt) in their skins (even the day before), cooled well, peeled. Using hot/warm potatoes will make croquettes fall apart during frying.
• 2 eggs
• 100 g (3.5 oz) Parmesan, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon (4 g) salt
• pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg
• 100 g (3.5 oz) mozzarella, diced
• 50 g (2 oz) cooked prosciutto, diced
• 2-3 eggs, lightly whisked
• about 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• olive oil

instructions

1. Pass potatoes through a press into a large bowl. Add 2 eggs, Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Combine it all with your hands. Don't worry if the potatoes are not perfectly smooth.
2. Prepare a flat dish with 2-3 eggs and another one with bread crumbs.
3. In a small skillet, heat oil, about 1/2 inch deep.
4. Take a small hand full of potato mix. Stuff it with pieces of prosciutto and mozzarella. Close it with your hands. Roll the croquette in eggs and then bread crumbs, pressing them gently. 
5. Fry 2 croquettes at the time, on medium/high. At first, I used higher temperature (6-7 on a scale 1-10), but by the end, I lowered it to 5-6. The croquettes should be deep golden after 2-3 minutes on each side.
6. Transfer the ready ones onto a plate lined with paper towel for 2-3 minutes and serve!