Spanish Ham Croquettes with Overnight Béchamel

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Crisp-shelled, molten-centered ham croquettes built the way tapas bars do it: a very thick béchamel enriched with finely minced jamón serrano, cooked until it pulls away from the pan in one mass, then chilled overnight so it can be rolled and breaded. The base does all the work a day ahead — you fry them in three minutes flat as guests walk in.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 6 oz jamón serrano or prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced very fine
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp water
• 2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs
• 6 cups neutral oil for frying, such as sunflower or canola
• flaky salt, for finishing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 small clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Separate the jamón: trim any hard edges, fatty scraps, and the outer slices into a small pile for infusing, and finely mince the remaining 4 to 5 ounces of lean meat into pieces no larger than a grain of rice. A sharp knife works better than a food processor, which turns it to paste.
2. Combine the milk, the reserved jamón trimmings, and the bay leaf in a small saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat until steaming and small bubbles form at the edge, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let steep 15 minutes, then strain into a measuring cup, pressing the trimmings to extract every drop. Discard the solids and keep the milk warm.
3. In a heavy 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until completely soft and translucent but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add the minced jamón and stir for 1 minute, just until it turns opaque and perfumes the butter. Sprinkle in the flour all at once and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or stiff spatula for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mixture looks like wet sand and smells toasty. Do not let it brown.
5. Add the warm infused milk in four additions, stirring hard after each until fully absorbed and smooth before adding more. It will seize and look alarming at first — keep working it and it will come together into a glossy paste.
6. Once all the milk is in, cook over medium-low heat, stirring and scraping constantly, for 10 to 14 minutes. The dough is ready when it forms one cohesive mass that pulls cleanly away from the sides and bottom of the pan and a spoon dragged through it leaves a track that holds. Season with nutmeg, white pepper, and salt to taste — go slightly bolder than seems right, since the mixture tastes milder cold.
7. Scrape the dough into an 8-inch square baking dish or quarter sheet pan lined with parchment, spreading it 3/4 inch thick with an oiled spatula. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cool 30 minutes on the counter, then refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. It must be firm and cold as clay before you shape it.
8. Set up three shallow bowls: flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs. Turn the chilled slab out onto a cutting board and cut it into 20 equal pieces. Working with a few at a time and keeping the rest refrigerated, roll each piece between lightly floured palms into a smooth cylinder or barrel about 2 inches long.
9. Roll each croqueta in flour and tap off the excess, then coat fully in egg, letting the excess drip away, then press into the breadcrumbs, rolling to seal the entire surface with no bare patches. Set on a parchment-lined tray. For a sturdier shell, dip a second time in egg and breadcrumbs. Chill the breaded croquetas at least 30 minutes (or freeze on the tray, then bag for up to 1 month).
10. If serving the aioli, stir together the mayonnaise, garlic, smoked paprika, and lemon juice with a pinch of salt and refrigerate.
11. Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep saucepan or Dutch oven to 350°F on a clip-on thermometer. Fry the croquetas 4 or 5 at a time, never crowding, for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown all over. Frozen croquetas take 4 to 5 minutes at 340°F.
12. Lift onto a wire rack (not paper towels, which steam the shell), sprinkle with flaky salt, and let rest 2 minutes so the molten interior stops scalding. Serve hot with the aioli. Return the oil to 350°F between batches.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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