Croquetas de Jamón

Before you start

• Make the dough at least one day ahead.

  This dish demands an overnight chill. Attempting to bread and fry a warm or inadequately chilled dough will result in the croquetas disintegrating instantly upon hitting the hot oil.

• Bread hours before the party.

  You can bread the cold croquetas hours before guests arrive and leave them uncovered in the fridge. They can also be frozen solid in airtight containers and fried directly from the freezer, simply requiring an additional minute in the hot oil.

Ingredients

• whole milk4 cup
• Spanish cured ham bone1 small
• unsalted butter8 tbsp
• Spanish onion1/2 small
• all-purpose flour1 cup
• Jamón Ibérico6 oz
• nutmeg1/4 tsp
• all-purpose flour1 cup
• eggs3 large
• Panko breadcrumbs2 cup
• neutral oil2 qt

Method

1. 01

   Steep the milk with the ham bone.

   Bring the whole milk and the ham bone to a very gentle simmer in a medium saucepan. Once simmering, remove from the heat, cover, and let it steep for 20 minutes to permeate the dairy with the essence of cured pork. Discard the bone and keep the milk warm.

2. 02

   Sweat the onion paste in butter.

   Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pureed onion and cook slowly until it completely melts into the fat, taking care not to let it take on a single shade of color.

3. 03

   Render the jamón ibérico.

   Add the diced ham to the butter and sauté for exactly one minute, just long enough to coax out the nutty fat without dehydrating and hardening the meat itself.

4. 04

   Toast the flour to form the roux.

   Dump in the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for three to four minutes to cook off the raw starch flavor and prepare it to absorb the milk smoothly.

5. 05

   Emulsify the hot milk into the roux.

   Begin adding the warm, infused milk one ladle at a time, stirring aggressively. The mixture will initially seize up into a tight dough, but keep stirring and adding milk until it is fully incorporated.

6. 06

   Work the béchamel until it pulls away from the pan.

   Reduce the heat to low and stir the mixture constantly for 15 to 25 minutes. It will eventually transform from a loose sauce into a thick, glossy dough that cleanly clears the sides of the skillet. Remove from heat and season with the freshly grated nutmeg.

7. 07

   Chill the dough overnight.

   Pour the hot dough into a shallow dish and spread it out evenly. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, then refrigerate undisturbed for at least 8 hours.

8. 08

   Shape the cold dough into cylinders.

   Portion the chilled dough into 1-ounce pieces and roll them quickly between lightly oiled palms to form small cylinders roughly the size of a wine cork.

9. 09

   Coat the croquetas in a triple breading.

   Roll each cylinder lightly in the flour, submerge it completely in the beaten eggs, and pack it firmly with Panko breadcrumbs to form a tight, impenetrable seal.

10. 10

    Fry at a high heat until deeply golden.

    Heat three inches of neutral oil to exactly 375°F using a deep-fry thermometer. Drop the croquetas into the oil in small batches and fry for 60 to 90 seconds, just long enough to brown the crust and re-melt the interior, then drain briefly and serve immediately.

Notes

• Invest in real Jamón Ibérico.

  Standard deli ham relies on added water and sugar. If introduced to this béchamel, the water will leak and cause the croqueta to explode in the fryer, and the sugar will burn. The Ibérico earns its price tag here because its unique lipid profile acts as a structural fat that stabilizes the emulsion.

• Panko is the right choice.

  While traditional Spanish grandmothers might use fine, dry breadcrumbs, Japanese Panko absorbs less oil and provides a thicker, more resilient shell that holds up beautifully in a busy entertaining environment.