Potato Bacon Croquettes with Spicy BBQ Dipping Sauce

((Who says Super Bowl foods can’t be classy, huh? Sure chicken wings are AMAZING, but bacon will always have a special place in my heart… maybe because it clogs my arteries. XD Haha. Yum.))

**Easy-ish? Difficulty** (takes a day or two of waiting)
Serves 8 to 10

For Croquettes
2 lbs / 1 kg Yellow Potatoes, cleaned, peels, and chopped
2 cups / 370 g ( 1 standard package) Bacon, chopped into bits
2 cups / 340 g Scallions, chopped
5 Tbsp / 75 g Butter, softened
5 Tbsp / 75 g Garlic (about 4 cloves of Garlic)
3 to 4 cups / 225 g (approx) Panko Bread Crumbs
2 to 3 Eggs, whisked
Salt to taste
White Pepper to taste
Water for Boiling

*************For Spicy BBQ Sauce (also great with Ribs)*****************
4 Tbsp / 60 ml Coca Cola (don’t use Pepsi. It makes it taste weird)
4 Tbsp / 60 ml Canned Tomato Sauce
1 Tbsp / 15 ml Worcestershire
1 Tbsp / 15 ml Molasses
2 Tbsp / 30 g Brown Sugar
2 tsp / 10 ml Butter
1 tsp / 5 ml Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp / 5 ml Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp / 5 ml Brown Mustard
2 tsp / 10 g Garlic Powder
1 tsp / 5 g Onion Powder
2 tsp / 10 g Cayenne Powder
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
***************************************

1.) In a large pot set on the stove at high heat, bring water to a boil and then add in a pinch of salt. Add the Potatoes and boil for about ten min or until a knife goes through the potato easily. Drain well, and set aside to cool and release moisture. (We want dry potatoes)

2.) While the Potatoes cool, prepare the Bacon using any method you prefer. You can fry them or cook them in the oven. Which ever you prefer. (I prefer the Oven method for cooking Bacon in bulk). Once you have your Bacon nice and crispy, chop into small bits and set aside.

3.) Prepare the Spicy BBQ Sauce Dip, by placing all the ingredients for the Dip (All ingredients below the Stars) into a medium sauce pan on the stove set on low. Stir together the sauce as it heats and thickens. Remove from heat once the sauce coats the back of a metal spoon. Set aside.

4.) Roast the Garlic by placing the Garlic cloves in some foil with a drizzle of olive oil. Seal the aluminium tightly and roast in the oven for 30 min set at 370 degrees F / 190 degrees C. Remove and set aside to cool.

5.) Potatoes should be cool to the touch now. In a large bowl, add in the Potatoes, Bacon, Roasted Garlic, chopped Scallions, and soft Butter. With your potato masher, mash the potatoes into a lumpy mixture. They should be slightly lumpier than mashed potatoes. (There should still be small chunks of potatoes with every bite.) Season with Salt and White Pepper to your desired taste. If they are amazing Mashed Potatoes, they should be Amazing Croquettes. Cover the bowl in cling wrap and place into the Fridge to firm up and to dry out over night. It you can’t afford that much time, let the potatoes sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

6.) Once Potato mixture is dried and lumpy, roll out small portions into cylinders. If you rather make patties, you can do that as well. Set all your Croquettes onto a baking sheet lined with foil or wax paper. They will be going back into the fridge to sit over night. Again, if you can’t afford the time, let them dry out in the fridge for at least an hour.

7.) Once Croquettes are firm and dry, set up a three step breading station. One station for croquettes, One station for whisked Egg, One station for Panko Bread Crumbs. Dip the Croquettes into the Eggs and then roll them in Panko. Set on a plate to get ready to fry. Do this for all your Croquettes. Fry in a pot of oil or if you have a deep fryer, you can use that. Fry until golden brown. Remember that everything is cooked already, so they should only sit in the hot oil for around 45 seconds just to crisp up and gain color. Place on a plate lined with Paper Towels to soak up the excess oil. Then place on plate and serve with Spicy Barbeque Sauce. Enjoy!


Extra Info: I want to say this recipe is Easy because it’s just flavoured mashed Potatoes rolled into nuggets and deep fried, but there is a certain technique you have to use when making something so delicate like Croquettes. First, your potato mixture has to be really dry. So dry in fact that the Mashed Potatoes should be pliable like soft clay. It shouldn’t be so dry it crumbles, but dry enough that it’s soft and firm in your hands. Taking the extra days to dry out the Croquettes once they are shaped into cylinders help when you start to fry them. They can get a bit crackled, but once dip into the Eggs and they’ll soak up a lot of moisture again. This is perfect because when they are rolled into Panko, they’ll really take to the bread crumbs.

As for the Panko itself, they are not flavored in any way. However, I do have a secret I’m going to share with you all. Take half the portion of Panko, and lightly grind them up with a mortar and pestle. You should turn the mixture into a rough powder. Don't make it too fine though. Mix the unground and the ground Panko back together so you can coat your food. This gives you large, medium, and small bits of Panko that cover your food at different degrees of height. The Human tongue is amazing in the fact it can detect the smallest of differences in the size of things it is tasting. Use this to your advantage. The different levels of breading makes food crunchier with a more pleasant texture on the tongue.

I made the BBQ Sauce Dip days in advance to let the sauce marry its flavors. This step isn’t needed, but I find things like Salsa, home made BBQ sauces, and Salad dressings taste better if they are allowed to sit in the fridge for a couple days after they are prepare.

Remember that all your ingredients are cooked fully, so they are only in the hot oil for a short while! For a big party such as the Super Bowl, which these Croquettes were for, you can make all the croquettes in advance. Dip them into Egg, and Panko, and place all of them into the fridge so they can be Speed Fried on the day of the party. They keep for about a week. Take care, and Happy Eating!

Potato Bacon Mixture
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12667557/

Croquettes rolled into Cylinder Shapes
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12667591/

Croquettes covered in Egg and Panko ready to be Fried
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/12667661/