Baked Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes with honey mustard dip. Ummm yes, I’ll have 15 please. A delicious make ahead party food or snack that’s baked not fried!

Baked Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes with honey mustard dip. A delicious make ahead party food or snack that's baked not fried!

Crispy, gooey, cheesy, salty, moreish.

Yes all good words to describe these ham hock croquettes and things that I like to eat in general.

Have you had ham hock before?

I first had it a few years ago when I spotted it at the deli counter looking like a delicious cross between pulled pork and baked ham. I cooked it into a pie (something like this chicken and ham pie if I remember correctly) and I was sold. It’s salty and flaky, and those extra large chunks just can’t help finding their way into my mouth whilst I’m cooking.

 

baked Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes with honey mustard dip. A delicious make ahead party food or snack that's baked not fried!

It’s so good that I’ve LOADED these croquettes with it. If you check out other croquette recipes you’ll see their measly ham rations. I want every mouthful loaded with ham please!

So what is ham hock?

It’s actually the meat in the ankle area of the pig (and yes, I did just google ‘Do pigs have ankles?’, looking back it was a pretty stupid question and I’m not proud) and although it hasn’t got a lot of fat, it has got lots of collagen from the connective tissue that melts down during slow cooking to give a distinctively soft and tender meat.

Hopefully that hasn’t grossed you out!

These croquettes are baked in the oven. Only for 10 minutes or so until the filling just starts to seep out. That’s when you know they’re gooey and perfect inside.

 

Baked Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes with honey mustard dip. A delicious make ahead party food or snack that's baked not fried!

You’d think 10 minutes wouldn’t be long enough to get this golden crunch on the outside, but I’m going to let you in on two little secrets:

  • Mix the panko breadcrumbs with a little oil before rolling the croquettes in them. This ensures every little breadcrumb has a tiny amount of oil, which will help the croquettes to brown evenly and ensures crispness even after only 10 minutes. Much better than a drizzle of oil before putting it in the oven.
  • Add some paprika to the panko breadcrumbs – this gives a nice rich colour to the coating, so you don’t have to leave them in the oven until the point that all of the filling has leaked out and you’re basically left with a ham and cheese bake (which doesn’t sound that bad, but still!).

Whip up a quick honey and mustard dip and you’ve got a treat worthy of any party/lunch/game day/midnight snack!

Baked Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes Recipe:

5 from 2 votes

Baked Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes

Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes with honey mustard dip. A delicious make ahead party food or snack that's baked not fried!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 18
Course: Snacks
Cuisine: British

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion peeled and chopped finely
  • 120 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 200 ml (1 cup minus 3 tbsp) milk
  • 150 g (1 cup + 4 tbsp) mature cheddar cheese, grated
  • 200 g (1 1/4 cups) shredded ham hock
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 100 g (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 3 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
  • chopped chives for garnish

Honey Mustard Mayo:

  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 10 chopped chives
Save This Recipe!
Just enter your email and get it sent straight to your inbox!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Instructions 

  • Melt the butter in a medium pan, add the onion and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add half the flour and stir using wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Very gradually, pour in the milk whilst stirring with a whisk, until all of the milk is incorporated with no lumps. It should be a thick, paste-like mixture.
    3 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 small onion, 120 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, 200 ml (1 cup minus 3 tbsp) milk
  • Stir in the cheddar and ham hock. Turn off the heat.
    150 g (1 cup + 4 tbsp) mature cheddar cheese, grated, 200 g (1 1/4 cups) shredded ham hock
  • Spoon the mixture into a bowl, and cover with cling film. Place in the fridge to firm up and chill for at least 90 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan) and line a baking tray with parchment.
  • Add the eggs to a wide bowl and whisk lightly. Add the remaining flour along with the salt and pepper to another bowl. Mix together. Add the panko breadcrumbs to a third bowl. Stir in the paprika, then drizzle over the oil. Mix together using a fork until all of the breadcrumbs are lightly coated in oil.
    2 eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 100 g (2 cups) panko breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp paprika, 3 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
  • Take the ham mixture out of the fridge. Scoop out a heaped tbsp and place in your hand. Roll into the shape of a small thick sausage. Roll in the flour, then the egg (make sure it's covered in egg), then finally roll in the panko breadcrumbs. Place on the tray and repeat with the rest of the mixture. You should get 16-18 croquettes.
  • Place in the oven to cook for 8-11 minutes - until the coating is lightly golden, and the filling is just starting to ooze out of a few of the croquettes. Take out of the oven and leave to cool and firm up for 2 or 3 minutes.
  • Whilst the croquettes are cooling, whisk together the honey mustard mayo ingredients and pour into a small dish.
    4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tsp lemon juice, 10 chopped chives
  • Place the croquettes on a serving plate and scatter with chopped chives. Serve with the honey mustard mayo.
    chopped chives for garnish

Notes

Nutritional Information is per croquette plus dip.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 83mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 0.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

 

Ham Hock and Cheddar Croquettes with honey mustard dip. A delicious make ahead party food or snack that's baked not fried!

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate the recipe




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Becky says:

    5 stars
    These were a delicious way to use holiday leftovers!

  2. Mint says:

    Can these be frozen? I don’t think we can finish this in one go…

    1. Chris Corbishley says:

      We haven’t tried it to be honest.
      If i were to try this, I would cook them first, then cool and freeze them.
      I think if they were made up and then frozen before being cooked, the potato would seep water during the defrosting stage.
      Hope that works for you.

  3. Minnie says:

    5 stars
    When I made these at the weekend for what our family call a pick n mix (buffet). I always try to add one new dish each time. These were one of the first to go, definitely making them again.