Holy croquette, are you ready for this? Vegetarian weekend brunches, appetizers, or even dinners are getting an upgrade with these potato croquettes filled with creamy herby cheese and their delicately crisp exterior. You won’t be able to stop at just one!
Inspired by the most amazing Persian Fetta Potato Croquettes that I enjoyed in a small cafe in Melbourne, Australia. It was my last morning there, the final breakfast, and let me tell you, it was hard to know I wouldn’t be back anytime soon for this delicious breakfast.
Which meant, I had to figure out how to make a similar breakfast at home. Quite similar to my time in Vietnam where I fell in love with Vietnamese Egg Coffee and again, had to recreate it at home.
Ingredient Spotlight: The Cheese
First things first: what is Persian Fetta? It’s THE cheese of Yarra Valley (right outside of Melbourne). And it was the absolute MOST perfect cheese in potato croquettes.
Persian Fetta is a soft and creamy cheese with a buttery finish; marinated in garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, fresh thyme, and olive oil. ALL OF THE GOOD THINGS.
Unfortunately, it’s not available here in the U.S., so I had to get to thinking. And planning. Research and development mode STAT.
What’s a soft, buttery, creamy cheese filled with herbs, and available in U.S. grocery stores? Are you thinking what I’m thinking? BOURSIN CHEESE (garlic and herb variety, of course).
Find Boursin Cheese in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store. It’s packaged in a little box, served in a cylinder shape. There are several flavor varieties – use Garlic and Herb for this recipe.
Friends, it’s a pretty darn good substitute. I’m like 1,028% obsessed with Boursin Garlic and Herb Cheese. Give me the entire container, a sleeve of buttery crackers, and I’m in indulgent heaven (no, this isn’t sponsored, just forever in love). It’s also the perfect pairing with potatoes.
Additional Ingredients
- Mashed potatoes– the classic ingredient for croquettes. Unless you have leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving, use Yukon Gold potatoes for this recipe.
- Egg binds it all together.
- Boursin cheese – ok, as discussed, the best. Find it in a little box in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store; it’s a creamy cylinder of the most delicious spreadable cheese.
- Spices – salt, white pepper, onion powder.
- Breadcrumbs – for coating, they create the most delicate exterior that crisps up beautifully, without being too crunchy.
How to Make Cheesy Potato Croquettes
Lucky for us, they are quite simple to make. They just require a bit of time (to cool and chill), and a little frying. As always, be sure to see the full recipe card below.
Cook the Potatoes
Unless you are using leftover mashed potatoes, start making them by boiling diced Yukon Gold potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Once the potatoes are tender, it will be time to mash them with melted butter, spices, and cheese.
The Boursin cheese will melt into the hot potatoes, which makes it easy to combine together. This is my favorite potato masher to use.
Taste test, then before proceeding add one egg to the mixture.
Chill the Mixture
Once the potatoes are mashed, the mixture is chilled in the fridge. It’s easier to mold the mashed potatoes into their croquette shape after they’ve chilled, so I highly recommend doing so.
Shape the Croquettes
At Journeyman Cafe in Melbourne, their croquettes were my kind of size: large rectangular prisms. So, of course, that’s what I decided to do, too, because the bigger, the better.
Potato croquettes are sometimes made into balls, flat ovals, round ovals…whatever your size preference, adjust accordingly.
Measure out about 1/4 cup of the mashed potato mixture and form it into your desired shape. Place the formed croquettes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and place them back in the fridge for another 20 minutes or so. This helps them retain their shape for the next steps.
Coat the Croquettes
The final step before frying these to perfection is to dredge them in the coating. It starts with a dip in flour, which creates a nice base of the crust.
Then, a bath in an egg wash. Allow any thick egg wash to drip off of the croquette before continuing. Then, roll the croquette in the breadcrumbs until coated.
Pan Fry
Heat a layer of oil in a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven to about 350°F. You’ll want the oil to be around an inch deep so it goes about halfway up the croquettes.
Place the croquettes around the pan, leaving space between each one. Fry for about 11/2 to 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Once each side has been cooked, transfer to a cooling rack or paper towel lined plate. Both options allow for any excess oil to drain off.
Once all the croquettes have been pan-fried, it’s time to dig in and enjoy!
Serving Potato Croquettes
When I enjoyed the restaurant’s version for brunch, they were served with corn puree, crispy kale, poached eggs, and manchego cheese, thinly sliced.
The combination was out of this world. Between the creamy texture of the croquette filling, the light, crispy exterior, and the crunch of the crispy kale, with the smooth corn, was perfection.
I often recreate this when I make them at home, using my skillet creamed corn and sauteeing up some kale. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, too.
As far as what to serve them with, a simple side salad is great. Of course, fresh fruit is a nice balance with hearty breakfasts. And you definitely don’t want to skip out on a homemade latte for the full “Australian cafe” experience.
Storage & Freezing Tips
After they’ve been fried, store any leftover croquettes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I highly recommend using an air fryer to reheat them so they retain their crisp exterior. Alternatively, you can reheat in a skillet on the stove.
They also freeze beautifully. Take them straight from the freezer to air fryer. I like to reheat them from frozen with my air fryer set to 345°F, and cook them for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Test to make sure the center is warmed through, and you’re ready to enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Get the Recipe Cheesy Potato Croquettes
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes*, ½ inch cubed
- 5.2 ounce package Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese
- ¼-½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs, divided; slightly beaten
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup neutral oil, for frying, approximate
- parmesan cheese, optional, for garnish
- parsley, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Mashed Potatoes: Add the diced potatoes to a large stockpot with salted water. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for approximately 12-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, remove Boursin from the fridge to come to room temperature. Once potatoes are tender, drain and transfer to a mixing bowl.1.5 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes*, 5.2 ounce package Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese
- In the mixing bowl, mash potatoes slightly. Add Boursin cheese, salt, white pepper, onion powder, and melted butter. Continue mashing until completely combined and smooth. Taste test and adjust for salt. Let cool for 10 minutes, then add ONE egg and stir to combine. Chill in the fridge for 15-25 minutes until the mixture easily forms together.¼-½ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Prepare a plate or baking sheet with parchment paper. Form 2-4 tablespoons** of the chilled mashed potato mixture into a rectangle or desired shape. Place it on the plate and continue until all of the potatoes are used. Place back in the fridge to chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add flour with a pinch of salt and pepper to a bowl. In a second bowl, whisk the remaining egg for the egg wash. In a third bowl, add the breadcrumbs with a pinch of salt. Prepare the oil in a large skillet with straight edges or a Dutch oven (about 1 inch deep), and heat until it reaches 350°F.½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1 cup neutral oil
- Dip each potato croquette in flour, then the egg wash, allowing any excess to drip off. Then roll to coat in breadcrumbs. Set on a baking sheet or plate until ready to cook.
- In the heated oil, gently place the croquettes evenly spaced and fry for about 1 ½- 2 minutes on each side (4 sides) until golden brown. Remove and set on a plate lined with a paper towel or cooling rack before serving. You may need to fry multiple batches.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley as desired. Serve with creamed corn, crispy kale, and poached eggs as desired.
Notes
- *Potatoes: for a super smooth mash, you can peel them, however, Yukon Gold potatoes have such a thin skin, I often leave it on. Also, the smaller the dice, the faster they will cook.
- **Croquette Size: as pictured, I used 2 TBSP of mashed potatoes, which yields approximately 16 croquettes.
I adooore croquettes! I always order way too many when I go to Spain. This version with that herby cheese sounds AMAZING. I’ve never tried making them at home, but now I have to! xx
Oh goodness! I can’t imagine how delicious they are in Spain, too! Herby cheese is definitely a must! 🙂
This sounds fantastic. Will definitely try.
Looking forward to hearing how they turn out! Thanks, Connie!