Quail Egg Croquettes 鵪鶉蛋薯蓉球

What is a croquette? If you search it up online, you would get "a small cake or ball of minced meat, poultry, or fish or of rice, potato, often coated with beaten egg and bread crumbs and fried in deep fat." (dictionary.com)

Its French root "croquer" means "to crunch". But since its French birth, there have been many many varieties from many many countries trying to give it a new twist. In this version, I attempted to bake it for a healthier version in comparison to deep frying it. My food critics at home gave them thumbs up. This is a great party and finger food.

See which version you like!

跟據網上可靠資料，此薯蓉球是法國菜式，但現今幾乎每個不同地區也有自己的版本。我也試試新煮意，用上鵪鶉蛋做餡，除了用原創的油炸，也試用較健康的烘焙法。經過家中的食評品嘗，兩種方法也過關合格!

Ingredients to make a dozen 做一打的材料:

12 fresh quail eggs 鵪鶉蛋
4 medium sized potatoes 薯仔(馬鈴薯/土豆)
1-2 slices bacon 煙肉
1/2 cup bread crumbs 麵包糠
1 egg, beaten 蛋，打散
salt, pepper 鹽、胡椒粉

1)  Put room temperature quail eggs in a small pot with enough water to cover them. Bring it to a boil for a minute. Remove and shock them in ice/cold water. Peel the shells and set aside.
2)  Peel potatoes and cut into small chunks. Put them in a pot and cover with water. Boil them for about 15 minutes until soft.
3)  Drain the water and smash the potatoes with a fork or potato ricer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4)  Fry or microwave the bacon and chop into small pieces. Add to the mashed potatoes.

5)  Wrap each egg with mashed potatoes to form a ball.

6)  Dip each croquette into beaten egg and roll it with bread crumbs.

7)  To fry: heat enough oil in a pot until hot. Fry until the croquettes are golden brown, less than a minute. To bake: put the croquettes on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425F oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

fried croquettes with the baked ones in the background

放蛋於鍋內，用蓋過蛋的水煮約一分鐘，之後立刻放冷水泡浸，去殼備用。薯仔去皮放鍋內加水煲約十五分鐘至軟身。取起用叉壓爛，加適量鹽及胡椒粉。煙肉煎香，(或用微波爐也可) 切碎加入薯蓉內。用適量薯蓉把蛋包實，沾上蛋液，再滾滿麵包糠。如用油炸便放入大熱油內炸至金黃色便成。如用烘焙法，便放入已預熱至425度焗爐焗約十二至十五分鐘至金黃色便成。