I have fond memories of my Mom making potato curry cutlets when I was a kid. On cold, rainy and gloomy days, the warm cutlets served with ketchup and a hot cup of chai made for the perfect afternoon snack. Every time I bite into a croquette, it evokes these wonderful childhood memories. I was browsing through Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone book a while back and stumbled across a Spicy Quinoa and Potato Croquette Recipe and immediately wanted to give it a try. It didn’t quite have my Mom’s touch, but they came out great. I have made this a few times now for dinner and the whole family ends up pitching in.

Potato Croquette Recipe

The original potato croquette recipe called for cottage cheese or grated Jack, which I’ve skipped in my version to make it vegan. This recipe has a fairly generous margin of error (my kind!) and as long as you manage to keep the croquettes from crumbling in the final step, it’s going to come out just fine. Here’s what you need:

Pan Fried Onions with Spices

• 4 to 6 red potatoes
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 medium sized onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 1 cup egg replacer
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs

Lately I’ve been using Red Mill Egg Replacer and found them to work well in pancakes, corn bread, etc. Wash and peel the potatoes and chop them into small pieces. Boil the potatoes until they are tender and soft. While the potatoes are going, sauté the onions in a small skillet over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes and then add the spices and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the onion is soft. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. In a large bowl mix in the potatoes, quinoa and onions along with the parsley and egg replacer. Salt to taste.

Potato Croquette Recipe

Work the mixture together until they are evenly mixed and there are no potato chunks. Divide the mixture in small patties and then gently press each croquette into the bread crumbs. I’ve tried both baking and pan frying for the final step and they both work equally well. Pan frying is quicker, but it’s harder to serve the whole family in one go. To bake the croquettes, set the oven to 450°F, place the croquettes evenly spaced on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until the croquettes are golden brown. You can set the oven to broil for another couple of minutes to make the top of the croquettes nice and crispy. Serve warm with ketchup (or hot sauce).