Crisp Jamón Croquetas with a Soft Béchamel Centre

What you need

• 150 g (5 oz) jamón serrano, finely chopped
• 1/2 onion, very finely chopped
• 100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 100 g (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
• 1 l (4 cups) whole milk
• 1 pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
• salt, to taste
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 150 g (1 1/2 cups) fine breadcrumbs
• sunflower oil, for deep frying

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Warm the milk in a saucepan until it steams, then keep it warm off the heat.

2. 2

   Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and soften it without browning, 6-8 min.

3. 3

   Stir in the jamón and cook for 1 min.

4. 4

   Add the flour and cook, stirring, until it smells toasty but is still pale, 2-3 min.

5. 5

   Add the warm milk one ladle at a time, beating hard after each addition until smooth.

6. 6

   Keep cooking over low heat, stirring without stopping, until the béchamel is very thick and comes away from the sides of the pan, 15-20 min.

7. 7

   Season with the nutmeg. Taste before adding any salt, since the jamón is already salty.

8. 8

   Spread the mixture in a shallow dish, press cling film onto the surface and let it cool. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.

9. 9

   Put the beaten eggs and the breadcrumbs in two shallow bowls.

10. 10

    With damp hands, shape heaped tablespoons of the mixture into small logs about 5 cm (2 in) long.

11. 11

    Roll each croqueta in the breadcrumbs, dip it in the eggs, then coat it in breadcrumbs once more.

12. 12

    Heat 4 cm (1 1/2 in) of sunflower oil in a deep pan to 180 °C (350 °F).

13. 13

    Fry the croquetas a few at a time, turning once, until deep golden all over, 2-3 min.

14. 14

    Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Imported from manusmenu.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.