Natch Croquettes

My friend, Lol, and I were discussing children and food the other day before dinner. He asked if I had ever heard of the croquettes prepared to lure “the Natch”. I must have looked clueless for he walked over to my iMac and searched for “the Natch”. Here’s a quote he found in the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook, by Georgeanne Brennan:

"A beast called the Natch, who lives in Kartoom, has always stayed in his cave, refusing to come out. But Gerald McGrew, who plans to catch unusual creatures for his zoo, decides to lure him out with pickled, peanut-sprinkled chicken croquettes."

I’m not Gerald McGrew so my croquettes are not pickled and do not feature chicken. I’m betting, however, that if the Natch were vegetarian, he’d be lured out to sample these simple yet tasty croquettes. As you fry them, be sure to leave a couple of inches of space around each one. This will help prevent them from falling apart as they cook.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon green onion (chopped)

2 egg yolks (beaten)

3 tablespoons whole wheat flour

4 cups mashed potatoes

1 egg (beaten)

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Extra virgin olive oil (enough to fill fry pan to 1/2-inch)

Directions:

Add milk, salt, pepper, green onion, egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Chill and then shape using an ice cream scoop. Dip in the beaten egg, then roll through bread crumbs making sure they are totally covered.

Fry in small batches until brown on all sides. Remove to paper towels to drain. Serve warm as a side dish or as an appetizer with my Ojai Green Sauce.