Are these just homemade tater tots?

No, they are actually different. Tater tots are made with shredded potatoes while potato croquettes are made with mashed potatoes. You can add additional ingredients; cheese, bacon, ham, veggies, to both tater tots and croquettes, but the base ingredient (potatoes) is in a different form.

What if I don’t have mashed potatoes?

You will need to make some. You can’t make these with raw, shredded potatoes ( that is a tater tot ). See Mashed Potatoes 101 from Life As A Strawberry for all the info on making the best mashed potatoes.

Do I have to fry these?

NO! We tested these (multiple times) by deep frying, using the air fryer, and baking in the oven. While all three methods worked, we definitely found the deep fried method gave the best overall result. Both the air fryer and oven resulted in a less evenly fried outside, but they work and were still delicious! To fry in the air fryer. Place the croquette balls about an inch apart on the air fryer rack ( per your units directions). Place in the air fryer for about 3 minutes. Turn the croquettes and continue air frying until they are brown all over. (Ours took between 7-8 minutes and we turned them twice.) To bake in the oven. Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the oven is hot and your croquettes are breaded, spray the top of each croquette with cooking spray (we like our Misto oil sprayer ). Remove the sheet pan from the oven (be careful - it’s hot!). Place the croquettes, sprayed side down, on the sheet pan and spray the tops. Place the sheet pan in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Turn the croquettes over and cook another 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and hot inside.

Cheddar Bacon Potato Croquettes

Name: Cheddar Bacon Potato Croquettes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 large egg yolks; 1 1/2 pounds mashed potatoes; 2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped; 4 teaspoons flour; salt and pepper to taste; 4 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled; 3 ounces cheddar cheese, small diced (about 3/4 cup); 2 large eggs; 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs; Dip for serving - marinara sauce, ranch dressing, sour cream, hot sauce (OPTIONAL); Oil for frying (vegetable or canola)

Description

The most delicious way to use leftover mashed potatoes - homemade potato croquettes with cheddar cheese and crispy bacon!

Ingredients

Scale

3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 pounds mashed potatoes
2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
4 teaspoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 ounces cheddar cheese, small diced (about 3/4 cup)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Dip for serving - marinara sauce, ranch dressing, sour cream, hot sauce (OPTIONAL)
Oil for frying (vegetable or canola)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

This works better if the potatoes are room temperature or slightly warm - not hot. If using mashed potatoes from the refrigerator, leave on the counter for about 20 minutes (or heat for a few seconds in the microwave) before mixing.

Add the egg yolks, mashed potatoes, parsley, flour, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl. Use a spoon to mix until well combined. NOTE: if you use a mixer, run for just a few seconds so you don’t over mix and make the potatoes gummy.
Add bacon and diced cheddar cheese. Stir until combined
Use a cookie scoop (we like the #40 - 4 teaspoon and #70 - 1 Tablespoon) size to scoop the potato mixture into balls.
OPTIONAL: At this point, we like to place the rolled potatoes in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. It makes them easier to coat and handle.
Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk them until they are scrambled together for an egg dip.
In a separate dish place the panko breadcrumbs.
Roll each formed croquette ball in the egg wash then in the panko breadcrumbs. Set on a sheet pan. Once they are all coated you can immediately cook them or place them in the refrigerator for a few hours until ready to cook.

TO DEEP FRY THEM:

To a deep pot, add 2-3 inches of oil and heat it over medium heat. If you have a deep fryer it would work great here. Just make sure you control the temperature of the oil.
Once the oil is hot (between 290-310 degrees Fahrenheit), add croquettes a few at a time. The number you can fry at once depends on the size of your pan. Add just enough croquettes so there is a single layer and they have enough room for you to move them around easily. Gently roll them in the oil as they fry to cook all sides. Keep an eye on the temperature of the oil, too hot and the cheese won’t melt, too cool and they will get greasy.
Once the croquettes are golden brown, remove from the oil to a sheet pan with a wire rack (to drain), let the oil heat again and continue until all are fried. Ours took about 5 minutes per batch.
You can place the fried croquettes in a warm oven (170 degrees Fahrenheit) to keep warm while you finish frying all of them.
Serve warm with dip (marinara sauce, sour cream, ranch dressing, hot sauce).

Notes

Other Options to Deep Fried. We made these by deep frying, using the air fryer, and baking in the oven. While all three methods worked, we definitely found the deep fried method gave the best overall result. Both the air fryer and oven resulted in a less evenly fried outside, but they work! See FAQ's for notes on using the air fryer or baking in the oven.

Substitutions and Additions. There are so many ways to make these your own. Instead of cheddar use gruyere, a smoked cheddar, gouda, or parmesan. Substitute ham or prosciutto for the bacon. Leave out the bacon and make vegetarian. Toss some fresh chopped herbs into the panko crumbs. Add some veggies to the mix (make sure they are diced small and will hold up to deep frying). We like bell peppers, broccoli, and mushrooms.

Instead of mixing the cheese into the potato mixture you can also cut the cheese into larger squares. Once the potato croquette is rolled, press a piece of cheese into the middle of the croquette. Re-roll to make sure the cheese is all covered by the mashed potato mixture.

Freezing Croquettes. Croquettes freeze great either before they are breaded and fried or after they are fried. For both, store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. If not breaded, let croquettes thaw in the refrigerator then proceed with the coating and frying steps. If fried, thaw in refrigerator and reheat in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven until warmed through - about 5-10 minutes. You can also place them directly from the freezer into a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven and heat until warmed through 15-20 minutes.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Assembly Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Appetizer
Method: Frying
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 croquette
Calories: 145
Sugar: 0.9 g
Sodium: 348.9 mg
Fat: 10.1 g
Carbohydrates: 8.9 g
Protein: 4.7 g
Cholesterol: 48.7 mg