Breakfast Croquettes

I took a couple of weeks off from work to enjoy the holidays and visit with family.  One evening, I'm sitting at the kitchen table with one of my brothers and we are discussing food.  The topic turns to food stuffed inside of other food, something I find to be pretty magical.  A particular favorite of mine happens to be cheese stuffed tater tots.  Tater tots are already on my guilty pleasures food list and then you up the ante by stuffing it with cheese.  There is an upscale burger bar in Providence that serves gorgonzola stuffed tater tots.  Does anyone else hear angels singing?

Sorry, I watched Sherlock (the Cumberbatch Incarnation) last night.  Now I have a mind palace and it's stuffed with all things food.  Ha, stuffed!  Sorry, back to business. 

My brain started contemplating all the things I could stuff inside a tater tot and somewhere along the way breakfast hops onto the thought cloud. Then, voilà, the magic mashed potato breakfast croquette is born!

This recipe is not for the faint of heart, however.  Mainly because it is time intensive.  It doesn't really work if you try and stuff a raw egg inside of mashed potatoes.  Eeeewww, even my imagination can't make the idea less gross.  Therefore, first comes the mashed potatoes, then the egg muffins, and then you get to put it all together in food stuffed inside food amazingness.  It may take some time, but it is so worth it.

See...WORTH IT!

Mashed Potato Breakfast Croquette

Ingredients:

 

1/3 c. bell pepper - chopped (I used an orange bell pepper to add some color)

1/4 c. mushrooms - chopped

1 small onion - chopped

1 clove garlic - minced

4 eggs - beaten

6 good sized potatoes

2 Tbsp butter

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Enough milk to cut the eggs and make the mashed potatoes (Sorry, I never measure when I make eggs or mashed potatoes, I just add until I'm satisfied with the consistency.)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

 

Step 1 - the mashed potatoes.  I chose 6 all purpose white potatoes, the largest in the 5 lb bag.  I peeled and cut them into cubes to boil them faster.  Once they were cooked through, I drained and transferred them to a large bowl.  I mashed them with butter and milk and a little salt and pepper.  My recommendation is to make them the way you would normally make mashed potatoes.  Once they are prepped, cover and put in the refrigerator to cool.

 

Step 2 - the egg muffins.    Preheat oven to 375F.  Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook onions for about 5 minutes, enough to soften them.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds then add the peppers and mushrooms. 

 

 

 

Continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the mixture from the oil and set aside to cool a bit.

 

In a large bowl, beat eggs with a bit of milk.  Add the sauted vegetables and mix well.  Fill muffin tins about halfway and bake for 25 minutes.

 

 

Step 3 - the fun bit.  Crank up the oven to 425F.  Take the cooled mashed potatoes and mix them with the shredded cheese.  Take the egg muffins and cut them into quarters.  Take a spoonful of mashed potatoes and flatten it into a disc,

 

place an egg quarter in the center,

and then cover with more mashed potatoes.  Finish by shaping it into a ball.

Mmmmm, I'm excited already!

Place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then brush with olive oil.

 

 

Bake for 30 minutes.  If you are not satisfied with the color (I wasn't), then pop them under the broiler for an additional 5 minutes.  Now, full disclosure, 2 cups of cheese to 6 potatoes is a pretty high ratio, so the croquettes did not really hold their shape.  I, however, am perfectly fine with this.  They were still amazing.

 

 

Putting them under the broiler for a bit added the nice golden color and ensured they were crisp on the outside as you bit in.  They were perfect.  Crisp on the outside, soft inside, and you could taste all the parts - potatoes, eggs, vegetables, and cheese.  They held their own, but worked perfectly together.  Additional seasoning was unnecessary, the small amounts of salt and pepper during cooking brought out their natural flavors.  These would be a fantastic addition to your next brunch buffet.