Baked Spinach and Goats Cheese Croquettes – a lighter dinner for meatless Mondays! Creamy mashed potato, with butter, double cream and a good pinch of salt. That’s the kind of food my dreams are made of!
If ever there was a mashed potato fiend, I am that person.
I don’t make it all that often, because, to be honest, I could probably go through half a kilo of spuds all by myself.
When I was a student, I used to make a big bowl of mash, then top it with crispy bacon, finely diced raw onion and leftover gravy from the freezer (NEVER throw away a decent gravy!!). I’m drooling at the thought – might have to introduce the kids to that delicacy!
It also can’t be beaten when laced with cheese (but I’d skip the gravy – cheese and gravy just isn’t right. Unless we’re talking cauliflower cheese I suppose – but my cauliflower cheese would always be on the other side of the plate to my gravy).
Instead of the cheddar cheese I’d usually add to mashed potato, this one is mixed with creamy goat’s cheese and lightly wilted spinach for a slightly tangy flavour.
Rolled in breadcrumbs, then baked until golden and crispy, they make a seriously good lunch (especially dipped in a simple crème fraiche and sweet chilli sauce concoction!).
You can make them gluten free by using fresh breadcrumbs from a gluten-free loaf. Even though gluten free bread isn’t usually as tasty as regular bread, you really can’t tell the difference when it’s used in this way.
I’m going back to thinking about my student diet now. I did cook a good amount of food from scratch, but there was a lot of cheap/easy store cupboard stuff in there too.
- Batchelors Savoury Rice
- Blue Dragon Chicken Chilli Noodles
- Egg noodles with ¼ jar of sweet and sour sauce (cheapest meal ever!)
- Crisp butties (smoky bacon crisps on white bread with lurpak butter)
Ahhh, those were the days - when the closest I got to my 5-a-day was a glass of orange juice and an apple turnover from Tesco.
Did you have any student food favourites?
Here are some of my other croquettes:
The Baked Spinach and Goats Cheese Croquettes Recipe:
Baked Spinach and Goats Cheese Croquettes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 75 g baby spinach leaves
- 2 eggs - lightly whisked
- 90 g plain/all purpose flour
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 125 g panko breadcrumbs (or homemade breadcrumbs made from slightly stale bread) - use gluten free bread if required
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500 g leftover mashed potato, chilled
- 100 g goats cheese, chopped into small chunks
To Serve:
- Small bunch fresh parsley - chopped
- 4 tbsp Crème fraiche
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 200c and put a baking tray to one side.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the spinach, cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted, then remove from the heat, cool and chop.
- Place the egg one bowl, the flour, salt and pepper in a second bowl, and the breadcrumbs in the third bowl. Sprinkle the paprika onto the breadcrumbs and then drizzle the oil on too. Mix the breadcrumbs, paprika and oil together so the oil absorbs into the breadcrumbs.
- Place the mashed potato in a bowl and add the chopped spinach and goats cheese. Mix together until just combined. Take a heaped tablespoon of mashed potato mixture and shape into a cylinder. Dip the croquette into the flour, then into the egg and finally into the breadcrumbs, ensuring the croquette is completely covered. Place on the baking tray and repeat until all of the mixture is used.
- Ensure there is a little space between each of the croquettes on the tray, then place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the croquettes are golden.
- Take out of the oven and arrange on a plate, then sprinkle with parsley. Swirl the crème fraiche and sweet chilli sauce together and serve with the croquettes.
✎ Notes
Nutrition
SC says
Always looking for ways to use up left over mashed potato and this one is a winner. Even my son liked these and he doesn't like spinach!
James | Thyme to Mango says
Mashed potato for the win! I live with a strange individual who doesn't like potatoes that much so, to get my mashed potato fix every so often, I have to come up with ingenious ways of disguising it so he'll eat it. This once lead to a legendary four-cheese-and-bacon-mashed-potato situation, ha! Then again it does get hard to come up with new and exciting ideas to disguise potatoes (things we do for people, right?), so will get onto to these croquettes the next time I need a potato fix! 🙂
Vishakha Sodhani says
Sounds like a great recipe! Will definitely try - is there another cheese I can substitute here? My husband is not a goat's cheese fan!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Vishakha - you could try feta (sheep's milk). Strong cheddar also works really well 🙂
Vishakha Sodhani says
Great! I'll definitely try them! Thanks
Lindsay | With Salt and Pepper says
I'm completely dying over this combination!!!!