Some simple but totally addictive cheesy snacks for you today! Crispy bites of mashed potato with oozy, melted cheddar cheese in the middle, covered in crunchy breadcrumbs. I think I could eat 50 of them… I like to bake these croquettes because it means you can cook more of them at once, and also prevents that splattery mess you can get with frying foods. You can still get a lovely, golden crunch without frying breaded food like this - the secret is to add a little oil into the breadcrumbs. Not so much that the breadcrumbs stick together, but just enough so each of the the crumbs has a little bit of oil absorbed.
I like to add some smoked paprika to the breadcrumbs too - which enhances the golden colour, but also adds a lovely, delicate flavour.
What do we need?
Leftover mashed potato - it’s best if it’s chilled Cubes of cheddar cheese - go for strong/mature cheddar for a deeper flavour Flour with salt and pepper - to coat the potato Egg to make the panko stick Smoked paprika - for a bit of extra flavour PLUS the colour of the paprika helps to make the breadcrumbs more golden upon baking Vegetable oil - to help crisp up those breadcrumbs
How to make baked potato croquettes
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Pro-Tip - ensuring the breadcrumbs are golden and cooked through
The croquettes are only going in the oven for 12-15 minutes, which is just on the cusp of time needed to ensure the coating is crunchy and cooked through. The longer you cook them for, the more the cheese will melt into the mashed potato. This will soften the mash and cause a bit of cheese leakage (and also means the cheese kind of disappears in the mash - you can still taste it, but can’t see it). However, we don’t want uncooked-tasting breadcrumbs. So keep an eye on the croquettes during the last few minutes of cooking, and cook them for as long as possible before the croquettes look like they’re just starting to lose their shape a little. Then take them out of the oven right away. 15 minutes baking is best if possible. The addition paprika in the breadcrumbs will also help the croquettes to look more golden and the addition of oil in the breadcrumbs will help to get the breadcrumbs nice and crunchy.
I like to serve mine with a simple honey mustard mayo (3 tbsp mayo mixed with 1-2 tsp wholegrain mustard and 1 tsp honey). The kids LOVE them served up with baked beans for dinner. This post was first published in June 2015. Updated in July 2020 with new photos, tips and recipe video.
Baked Spinach and Goats Cheese Croquettes Baked Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes with honey mustard dip
Watch how to make it:
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