Korokke (Potato And Meat Croquette)

INGREDIENTS

For the Korokke Patties

• 2 lb russet potatoes (about 4 potatoes)
• 1 onion
• ½ carrot
• 2 shiitake mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp neutral oil (for sautéing)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper powder
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)

For the Breading

• ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
• 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

For Deep–Frying

• 3 cups neutral oil

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Gather all the ingredients.

To Make the Korokke Patties

1. Peel and cut 2 lb russet potatoes into quarters. Add water and the potatoes to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Cook the potatoes until a skewer goes through the potato easily, about 15–20 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain the water completely. When you do so, use a lid to partially cover so the potatoes don’t fall out of the pot.
2. Move the pot back to the stove. On low heat, shake the pot so that the remaining moisture will completely evaporate (but don’t burn them).
3. Turn off the heat and mash the potatoes. Unlike the typical mashed potatoes, you don’t have to mash completely. I like leaving some small chunks for texture. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, finely chop 1 onion, ½ carrot, and 2 shiitake mushrooms.
5. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp neutral oil on medium-high heat. Sauté the onion until soft.
6. Add the carrot and shiitake mushrooms and cook until they are soft.
7. Add 1 lb ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. When the meat is cooked through, add 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, ¼ tsp white pepper powder, and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat.
8. Add the meat mixture to the mashed potatoes in the large pot, leaving the cooking liquid from the meat behind as we don‘t want to introduce too much moisture to the mixture.
9. Crack and add 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) to the mixture.
10. Mix it all together until everything is well combined.
11. While the mixture is still warm, but not hot, start shaping the Korokke patties. Cover and let the Korokke patties rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. (Do not skip!) TIP: Resting and cooling the patties prevents the croquettes from exploding while deep-frying. The cold patties in the hot oil will not release any steam; therefore, the croquettes will not explode in the oil. If you skip this process and the patties are still warm, the temperature of the patties will go up and start to steam, which will then puncture a hole in the panko coating and explode. Resting also helps the ingredients to meld together.

To Bread the Korokke

• Meanwhile, prepare 3 separate trays or bowls with ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (beaten), and 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). Take the patties out of the refrigerator after 30 minutes. Dip each patty in the flour, beaten egg, and panko, in that order.
• Place on a tray, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

To Deep-Fry

1. In a wok (or Dutch oven or frying pan), heat 3 cups neutral oil over medium-high heat. Deep-fry the Korokke until they are golden brown. The inside is already cooked, so all you need to do is to fry them until nicely brown.
2. Transfer the Korokke to paper towels and let the oil absorb in the paper. Serve immediately with tonkatsu sauce.