Dutch Meat Croquettes
The Dutch love their snacks, like bitterballen, kroketten and frikandellen. They even have special snack vending machines, maybe you know them as Automats. In Dutch these were named Automatiek, but are now known as FEBO, named after the first, and now biggest, company to have introduced these here in the Netherlands.
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| A FEBO-wall |
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| Nice and warm, waiting for you to snack |
Research in 2008 showed that 350 million kroketten are eaten in the Netherlands every year. An estimated 75% of all Dutch people eat them, resulting in 29 kroketten per person per year on average. The major consumers are between 35 and 49 years old. A smaller round version of the standard beef or veal croquette, the bitterbal, is often served with mustard as a snack in bars and at receptions.
Broodje kroket, a croquette on a bread roll, is sold in restaurants, snack shops, and even by street vendors. The kroket is so popular in the Netherlands that even McDonald’s sells their version on a bun as “McKroket”!
Are you hungry yet? Let me show you how to create your own.
Now, let’s get cooking!
Ingredients
Yields 15 to 20 croquettes
- 500gr beef
- 500ml beef stock
- 250gr butter
- 350gr flour
- 2 eggs
- 150gr breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp milk
- Worcestershire sauce
- unsweetened soy sauce
- Pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Stock
- 15gr parsley
- 1 carrot
- 1 leek
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 onion
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 3 prigs of thyme
- 2 liter water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Make stock out of the beef, carrot, leek, bay leaves, parsley, onion and water. Let it simmer for about 3 hours, the volume will be reduced to 500ml. Strain the broth and keep the stock, add salt and pepper to taste. Cut the meat into cubes or simply pull apart and set aside. Melt the butter and add the flour, this may seem like too much flour but you’ll be adding the stock once it’s cooked. Cook this while stirring for about 3 minutes, then add the stock to create a smooth substance.
Add the beef and season with, salt and pepper, Worcester and soy sauce to taste. Scoop everything into a plate or bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Put the breadcrumbs into a bowl and set aside. Put the eggs and milk in a bowl and whisk. Knead the ragout thouroughly and season if needed. Use an ice cream scoop to create a ball from the ragout and roll it through the breadcrumbs. Now put the ball on your work space and roll it into a cylinder. Put this in the egg mixture and roll it through the breadcrumbs a second time. Make sure all the sides are covered, otherwise the croquettes will leak and get messy.
Let them set for at least 2 hours in the fridge, then fry them for 4-7 minutes at 180ºC.
You can also choose to freeze them before frying for later use.
