Salami and Cheese Potato Crocchette
This recipe is the creation of Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, chef/partners at the New York City restaurant Don Angie, who have a passion for Italian-American cooking. They say that Naples is the street food capital of Italy, with countless vendors manning carts full of delicious fried things; potatoes show up often. Some of the couple’s fondest memories are of strolling through Naples’s boisterous streets, with music blasting from the windows and locals zipping through the crowds on scooters, stopping at tiny street stands along the way to sample all manner of deep-fried snacks. They wanted to develop something that would remind them of the city and its unparalleled street food scene.
These crocchette are light, fluffy and creamy, with a cheesy inside and crispy exterior. The trick here is to work potato starch into the batter itself, so you don’t have to bread and dredge each ball. This batter contains enough starch to form its own crispy shell, and it’s naturally gluten-free. Feel free to swap in different semi-hard cheeses (i.e., Gouda) and salumi (prosciutto, pepperoni). The Genoa salami called for here is the deli cold cut, as opposed to a stick of salami.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 lb. (625 g) russet potatoes (2 to 3)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbs. black peppercorns
- 2 garlic heads, halved horizontally
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 oz. (90 g) thinly sliced Genoa salami, cut into 1/8-inch (3-mm) dice
- 2 oz. (60 g) sharp provolone cheese, roughly chopped into 1/4-inch (6-mm) dice
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbs. potato starch
- 1/2 tsp. granulated onion
- 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
- Neutral oil, such as vegetable, for deep-frying
Directions:
Place the potatoes in a large pot with the bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic. Add water to cover and season with salt; you will need about 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) salt for every 8 cups (2 l) water. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to keep at a low simmer and cook, uncovered, until you can pierce the potatoes with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes. If you boil them too vigorously, the skin might start to come off and the potatoes will get too starchy. Drain, discard the aromatics and set the potatoes aside until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.
Peel the potatoes (discard the skin) and pass them through a potato ricer or food mill over a large bowl. (If you don’t have either, you can press the cooked potato through a fine-mesh sieve with the back of a spoon.) You should have about 2 packed cups of riced potatoes.
Add the salami, provolone, egg, Parmesan, potato starch, granulated onion, granulated garlic,
1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper to the bowl and mix well with a large spoon until evenly incorporated.
Using your hands, roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) spheres (each about 2 Tbs./1 oz./32 g) and arrange on a baking sheet for frying. (Uncooked, the rolled crocchette can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before frying.)
Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Pour 2 inches (5 cm) of oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and heat to 350°F (180°C) over medium-high heat, about 20 minutes.
Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, fry the crocchette until golden brown and crispy, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and set on the paper towels to drain. Season with salt while still warm. Serve immediately. These are best fried and eaten the day-of. Makes about 26 crocchette.
Reprinted from ©Italian American by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli with Jamie Feldmar, Clarkson Potter, 2021
Recommended Products:
-
$35
-
Sugg. Price $1,540 Our Price $999.95
(45)
-
$69.95
-
$16.95
-
$59.95
-
$159.95
(29)
-
$39.95
(19)
-
$179.95
(17)
-
$69.95
-
$41.95
