- 100g gv Smokey gold cheese
- 50g gv aged cheddar
- 50g butter
- 75g plain flour + ½ cup extra
- 310ml milk
- pinch of nutmeg
- black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup fine breadcrumbs
- Canola or vegetable oil, for frying
Grate the Smokey gold and aged cheddar cheese finely, and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, and add ½ cup of flour all at once. Stir well over the heat, until the flour is totally incorporated into the butter.
Add the milk, a splash at a time, stirring over the heat until each splash is incorporated. Once all the milk is in, turn off the heat, season with the nutmeg and black pepper, and then stir through the cheese. Scrape out onto a plate and place in the refrigerator for about an hour, to chill completely.
When the mixture is chilled and you're ready to cook, get out three bowls. Place the extra flour into one of the bowls, the beaten egg into another, and the breadcrumbs into the third.
Take about 2 tablespoons of the chilled manchego mixture in your hands, and shape into a small sausage. Roll it first into the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, making sure it is well coated. Continue until all the mixture is used.
Place about 2 inches of oil in a saucepan, making sure it is no more than a third full. Heat the oil to 350F/170C. Carefully lower in 2-3 croquettes at a time, and cook until they are very crisp and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Let them drain on some paper, while you continue until all the croquettes are cooked. If you like, you can throw some fresh sprigs of rosemary into the oil, they go beautifully crispy and look great sprinkled over then croquettes to serve.
