Chicken and Potato Croquettes

My mom used to make croquettes from leftovers when I was a kid, but then they fell out of circulation. Was it the deep frying she was avoiding? All the messy effort? I don't know, but with a fridge full of leftover chicken and a desire for something a little bad to eat, I found a new recipe.

Now I had Mom's old version, but hers calls for deep frying and I didn't have enough ingredients for the whole recipe. Instead I went out on the web and found some recipes, eventually taking everything I liked and making it my own.

In the end I had small pan fried medallions of chicken and mashed potato that were quite tasty, especially with the roasted butternut squash and raw spinach to counteract the fried part!

Chicken & Potato Croquettes

• 1 C. Mashed Potatoes (don't hate me, but I used instant potatoes!)
  
• 1/4 C. Onion, chopped and sauteed
  
• 1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
  
• 1/4 tsp. Dried Thyme
  
• 1/2 C. Panko Breadcrumbs
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 1 Tbsp. Prosciutto, cut into small pieces
  
• 1 C. Cooked Chicken, cut into small pieces
  
• 2 Tbsp. Grated Romano Cheese
  
• Olive Oil

1. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
   
2. In a skillet, heat about 2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil over medium high heat.
   
3. While pan heats up, roll a 1 1/2 (or so) Tbsp. of the mixture into a ball with your hands, and then flatten slightly. Place medallion into the hot pan, being careful not get burned by hot oil, and let it cook on one side.
   
4. Repeat making medallions until the pan is full, leaving about 1/2" space between each croquette.
   
5. As each croquette cooks, flip gently when original side is well browned. Cook other side until similarly browned.
   
6. When croquettes are done, remove from pan and drain on paper towels. The medallions will stay relatively warm to cook the 2-3 batches on the stovetop. If you need more oil, pour it in 1 Tbsp. at a time and only allow it to heat briefly as you do not want the oil so hot that it burns the food without warming through first.
   
7. Serve warm. A dipping sauce would be excellent with these- anything from creamy to tangy to sweet would be appealing.