Oven-Fried Spanish Croquettes -- What We Do With What We Have Left

The week after Thanksgiving. The body recovering. The kitchen quiet. The fridge full of leftovers.

Joseph stayed through Sunday morning. Joseph and I walked the coastal trail together Friday afternoon. We do not walk together often. The inlet ice was forming in patches. Joseph said, "Ate, are you happy." I said, "Mostly." He said, "Mostly is the most anyone is." I said, "When did you get wise." He said, "I was always wise. You did not notice because I was small." We laughed. We walked. We did not say much else. Joseph is the brother who can ask the direct question without making me defensive. The asking was the love. The mostly was the truth.

I wrote a blog post about leftovers. I called it "The Fridge in Late November." It was about the discipline of rationing, about the way the second-day adobo is the truer adobo, about the way leftovers are the meal's memory of itself, about the way grief is the heart's leftover love, the love that has no place to go but is too good to throw out, the love that gets reheated for years and is somehow better each time you take it out.

I drove Joseph to the airport Sunday. We sat in the car at the curb for a minute. He said, "Take care of Mama." I said, "Always." He said, "Take care of you, too." I said, "Working on it." He hugged me. He went inside. The hug was the year. The year was almost done.

I wrote about the second-day adobo being the truer adobo, and I meant it — but I also meant it as permission to keep going, to take what is left and give it form again. These oven-fried Spanish croquettes are exactly that: leftover meat, folded into something warm and new, crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, the kind of thing you make on a quiet Sunday when the house is emptier than it was. Joseph flew home and I came back to the kitchen, and I made these. That’s what we do with what we have left.

Oven-Fried Spanish Croquettes

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 50 min (plus 1 hour chilling) | Servings: 4 (about 12 croquettes)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 cup whole milk, warmed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup cooked meat, very finely chopped (leftover chicken, ham, or adobo pork all work beautifully here)
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs (panko or plain)
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Lemon wedges and aioli or sour cream, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the béchamel. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until the roux turns pale golden and smells nutty. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is very thick — thicker than a sauce, closer to a soft dough, about 4–5 minutes.
2. Add the filling. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped meat, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spread the mixture in a shallow dish, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight) until firm and cold.
3. Preheat and prepare. When ready to cook, heat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and coat the rack generously with olive oil spray. Set out three shallow bowls: one with flour, one with the beaten eggs, one with the breadcrumbs.
4. Shape the croquettes. Dust your hands lightly with flour. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the chilled filling and shape into a smooth cylinder or oval, roughly 2 inches long. Repeat with remaining filling, placing shaped croquettes on a plate as you go.
5. Bread them. Working one at a time, roll each croquette in the flour (tap off excess), dip in the beaten egg (letting excess drip off), then roll firmly in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated. Place on the prepared rack.
6. Bake. Spray the tops of the croquettes generously with olive oil spray. Bake for 20–25 minutes, turning once halfway through, until deeply golden and crisp on all sides.
7. Serve. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with lemon wedges and a bowl of aioli or sour cream alongside.

Nutrition (per serving, about 3 croquettes)

Calories: 320 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 430mg