Homemade potato croquettes: the accompaniment to game, made ahead
Served with a civet or a venison fillet, the potato croquette is the quintessential Belgian side dish. Homemade, it's soft at the heart and golden outside, with a true potato flavour. The secret: a very dry mash, so cook the potatoes by steaming. And good news, they freeze: you can prepare them well before the festivities.
- 30 croquettes (serves 6)
- Potatoes steamed : mash, very dry
- Frying 180 °C, 3 min, or air fry at 200 °C
- In advance freeze raw up to 2 months ahead
Appliance and settingSteam oven or steamer, then deep fryer 180 °C or oven in air fry mode 200 °C
Ingredients
The croquette, queen of game plates
Venison fillet, grand veneur sauce, poached pears in wine and croquettes: this is the quintessential Belgian festive plate. Shop-bought croquettes will do in a pinch, but homemade ones have a real potato flavour and an incomparably melting texture. Two rules to remember: a dry mash and an even coating.
The steps
- Steam the potatoes. Peel them and cut into even chunks. Steam at 100 °C for 25 to 30 minutes, until a knife tip slides in with no resistance. No steam oven: use a steamer basket over a pan of water, on the hob.
- Dry them out. Spread the pieces on a tray and let them steam-dry for 3 minutes: the steam escaping is excess water leaving.
- Mash. Pass them through a potato ricer or food mill while still hot (never a blender, which makes the mash gluey). Add the butter, then the yolks one at a time. Season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Cool. Spread the mash in a dish, cover with cling film directly on the surface and leave to cool for at least 1 hour in the fridge. Cold, it shapes much better.
- Shape. Take a heaped tablespoon of mash (about 30 g) and roll it on a floured work surface into a 5 cm sausage shape. Cut the ends neatly with a knife.
- Bread. Coat each croquette in flour, then in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs. Arrange on a tray so they don't touch.
- Bake. In the deep fryer: 180 °C, 3 minutes, in small batches, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. In the oven on air fry mode: preheat to 200 °C, spray the croquettes with oil, spread them on the perforated tray and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through.
Appliance settings
| Step | Appliance and mode | Setting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook the potatoes | Steam oven or combi steam oven | 100 °C, 100% steam | 25 to 30 min |
| Cook potatoes (no steam oven) | Induction hob, steamer basket | Level 7, simmering water | 25 to 30 min |
| Frying | Fryer | 180 °C | 3 min |
| Deep-frying frozen croquettes | Fryer | 175 °C | 4 min |
| Lighter version | Oven, air fry mode, perforated tray | 200 °C | 12 to 15 min (16 to 18 min from frozen) |
| Keep warm | Oven, fan-assisted | 90 °C, on wire rack | 20 min maximum |
A steam oven cooks the potatoes while you prepare the game sauce on the hob. Air fry mode, meanwhile, frees up the deep fryer on Christmas Eve: one less smell of frying in the house.
Variations
- With cheese : add 60 g of aged Gouda or grated Parmesan to the mash.
- With almonds : replace half the breadcrumbs with crushed flaked almonds, the fine-dining version.
- As duchess potatoes : pipe the mash into rosettes with a piping bag onto a baking tray, brush with egg yolk and bake for 15 minutes at 200 °C fan. No breadcrumbs, no frying.
- Truffle version : a few drops of truffle oil or a little grated truffle stirred into the mash, for Christmas Eve.
Storage and advance preparation
They're the ideal side to prepare in advance. Uncooked breaded croquettes keep for 24 hours in the fridge, or 2 months in the freezer : freeze them flat on a tray first, then transfer them to a bag. On Christmas Eve, they go straight from the freezer to the oven. Once cooked, they reheat in 8 minutes at 200 °C on air fry mode, but they won't be as crispy.
Make a double batch one weekend in November and freeze them: you'll have croquettes for Christmas and New Year. And if you like croquettes, try the starter version too, with brown shrimp. For a complete festive plate, serve them with our venison fillet in grand veneur sauce.
Which appliance?
An oven that does steam and air fry handles both stages of the recipe: cooking the potatoes, then browning the croquettes.
A pyrolytic oven with assisted steam
Bosch HQG572BB3F (Series 4, Hotair Steam mode, Air Fry plate), Whirlpool WOI4S8PM1SWAF (6th Sense, AirFry and steam cooking), Hisense BSA66334PX (assisted steam, AirFry and probe).
€599.99 to €949.99
Steam for under €600
Beko BBIS17301BMPC (VapeurAssist steam and pyrolysis) or Hisense BSA66211AX (assisted steam and AirFry, hydrolysis cleaning).
€549.99 and €449.99
Simple steam and separator
Samsung NV7B4450VAS: simple steam, sous-vide cooking and Twin Convection technology, pyrolysis and Wi-Fi.
799,99 €
Public prices noted on 15 October 2026: the product page is definitive, and Nimesclub members often get a reduced price.
Steam ovens in store
Built-in oven BOSCH HQG572BB3F€929.00
BEKO BBIS17301BMPC Built-in Oven€549.00
Built-in oven WHIRLPOOL WOI4S8PM1SWAF€949.00
Built-in oven HISENSE BSA66334PX€599.00
SAMSUNG NV7B4450VAS Built-in Oven€799.00
Built-in oven HISENSE BSA66211AX€290.00Pure steam, assisted steam, air fry: the differences are explained in our guide to oven functions. And to plan the festive meal, read our oven-baked Christmas menu.
Frequently asked questions
Why steam the potatoes?
Because in water, they soak up liquid and the mash turns sticky: the croquettes lose their shape and burst during cooking. Steamed, or even baked in their skins, the flesh stays dry and floury, ideal for shaping.
How do you cook frozen croquettes?
Without thawing them. In a deep fryer: 175 °C for 4 minutes. In the oven on air fry mode: 200 °C for 16 to 18 minutes, turning them halfway through, after spraying them with oil.
Which potato variety should you choose?
A floury variety, such as Bintje, which also makes the best Belgian chips, or Agria. Avoid waxy varieties (Charlotte, Nicola), which give a stretchy mash.
The right oven makes all the difference
Steam ovens, pyrolytic ovens, induction hobs: come and see them at our Temploux store, or ask our expert salesperson for advice.
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