Making croquettes, a fun job to do and the result? Delicious! Feel free to make extra as you can of course freeze them just fine and this way you can enjoy them for a long time. This kroketten recipe is the only one you’ll need 😉 .
Famous Dutch beef croquette
You might know this typical Dutch food, a deep fried snack called kroketten, made famous by Cees Holtkamp. They are fantastic and this recipe is partly based on his croquettes. I combined the best of the croquette recipes and traditional methodes I learned in a workshop at another famous croquette factory, the Van Dobben factory. This is a delicious deep-fried snack that is well worth it’s time!

Make your own Dutch croquettes
It is not difficult to make the tastiest kroketten yourself, but it does take some time. I find it easiest to divide it into 3 days: day 1 for the stock, day 2 for the meat ragout and day 3 for the kroketten. This allows the stock to cool and the ragout to set.
Yes, making your own croquettes takes a bit of work, but it is well worth it. If you want to make it easy, you can of course buy a ready-made stock, but I really recommend making your own. It really makes a difference and is so tasty!

Tasty veal kroketten
Of course, you can deep-fry your own croquettes and eat them straight away. Delicious as a snack with a drink, for lunch on a sandwich or as a Friday night snack. But you can also freeze them and fry them later! It takes a bit of work, but you can enjoy them for a long time.
Another great Dutch snack recipe is this bitterballen recipe, quite similar to kroketten but a little bit more bite-sized and perfect for snacking!


Ingredients
- 2 veal shanks (or 4-5 veal marrow bones)
- 500 ml water
- 1 onion (in rings)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 carrot (cut into pieces)
- 1 leek (in rings)
- 1 stick celery (cut into pieces)
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 400 gram veal cutlets
- 6 sheets gelatine
- 80 gram unsalted butter
- 100 gram flour
- 50 ml heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp mustard
- 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1-2 tbsp parsley (fresh, finely chopped)
- 75 gram breadcrumbs (fine)
- 3 egg whites
- 75 gram panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Equipment
- Ice-cream scoop
- Deep fryer
INSTRUCTIONS (how to make this recipe):
Making the stock
- Bake the veal shanks in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius / 390 Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes.
- Place the veal shanks, water, onion, garlic, carrot, leek, celery, thyme, bay leaf and a little salt and pepper to taste in a large saucepan. Put the pan on the heat and bring the stock to the boil.
- Simmer for 2-3 hours, adding the veal cutlets at the end to cook briefly.
- Remove the veal cutlets and set to one side. Place a sieve over a large pan or bowl.
- Collect the stock by pouring it through the sieve into the pan/bowl. Leave the stock and veal cutlets to cool for a while. You can discard the vegetables, shanks and spices – you won't be needing them.
- When the veal cutlets have cooled, cut it into small cubes.
Make the ragout
- Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Leave to cook, stirring constantly.
- Add 500 ml of the cooled stock and the cream to the roux.
- Bring to the boil again, stirring gently. Taste to see if it is cooked, it should no longer taste like raw flour. Leave the roux to simmer gently until you have a nice, thick roux.
- Add the egg yolks, squeezed gelatine leaves, mustard, soy sauce, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
- Finally, add the parsley and sliced veal to the roux. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Cover with cling film and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Make the croquettes
- Now it is time to make the croquettes! Prepare 3 plates/bowls. One with the breadcrumbs, one with the egg whites and one with the panko.
- Take a little ragout (tip: use an ice-cream scoop) and roll it into a ball, then into a croquette. Roll the croquette through the fine breadcrumbs, the egg white and finally the panko. Repeat until you run out of ragout.
- Fry the croquettes at 180 degrees Celsius / 355 Fahrenheit for 3 minutes. You can also freeze them unfried, but if you freeze them, deep-fry them for about 4 minutes. Enjoy!
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