Gold Potato and Bacon Croquettes with Jackpot Beer Cheese Sauce

The challenge? Come up with a potato recipe that can be classified as Potatoes: Vegas-style! We go to Las Vegas every year so I started thinking of all the words I associate with that sparkly, shiny town.

Gamble – Maybe a little too negative and not something you really want to take with a new recipe.
Strip – As in the street, but it still leaves a little too much to the imagination.
Winner – Maybe.
Jackpot – Now you’re talking.

So I started thinking about what I would consider a jackpot of flavors. You can never (and I mean, never) go wrong with potatoes and bacon. And sharp cheddar, of course. Cheddar then makes me think of beer, as in beer cheese. I tossed around ideas of how to put it all together and finally decided on some crispy, crunchy baked croquettes that resembled playing chips with their disk shape. It has to be gold potatoes, by the way, because there are few cities as golden and shiny as Las Vegas.

I’ve been working with the U.S. Potato Board’s Potato Lovers Club since I was introduced to the program last fall at the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle. It is such a great program. They know exactly how to work with food bloggers which is saying a lot. I was pretty excited to participate in the Potatoes: Vegas-style challenge because the two winning bloggers get to head to Las Vegas to the Food Fight Write Bloggers Conference and the World Food Championships in November. Travel and food, and supporting a great program? Count me in!

This recipe says Vegas to me! I wanted to do an appetizer that is perfect for a cocktail party. These croquettes are baked, not fried, which makes them less greasy and it means less time standing over the oil at the stove. Mix them up, give them a quick coating, pop them in the oven and get on to other things.

As for the sauce, I lived in the land of beer cheese for a long while (Kentucky) so I got to try my fair share. My favorites are those that have some texture and are used more like a spread. It also has to have that sharp, almost bitter bite that brings out the beer and cheddar. This sauce meets that criteria with a consistency that can be used for drizzling and dipping.

A basic light beer works well in beer cheese, but this time around I went with a favorite around here, the California lager. Anchor Steam to be exact. It worked great and most beers will, just don’t choose anything too bitter and hoppy because it will become even more bitter as it cooks with the other ingredients.

Don’t make up the cheese sauce to early. You really want to serve it as soon as it comes together. It thickens a lot as it cools. It still tastes great, but the texture is best when warm, right after it is made. If you need to, you can let it hang out on very low heat for a few minutes once it comes together. Just remember to keep stirring it.

Serve these crunchy Vegas party-style bites with the cheese for dipping, or go ahead and put a dollop over the top and garnish with fresh dill.

Gold Potato and Bacon Croquettes with Jackpot Beer Cheese Sauce Recipe

Makes: 30 croquettes

Ingredients

Croquettes
3 lb. peeled gold potatoes, cubed and boiled until tender, chilled (or ~ 4 1/2 cups chilled mashed potatoes)
3 green onions
3 slices cooked bacon, chopped fine
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill + plus extra for garnish
1 1/2 tsp fine ground sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp unbleached, all-purpose flour
8 oz. beer, poured and left to rest for at least 15 minutes
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (~ 2 cups)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp fine ground sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Prep

In a large bowl, mash the chilled potatoes until smooth. (You can send them through a ricer if you have one, but I find a good masher does the trick.) Separate the the top green portion of the onions and chop them fine. Do the same to the white portion and reserve them for the sauce. Add the green portion of the onion, bacon, dill, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and the pepper to the potatoes. Stir well until all ingredients are combined.

Create the croquettes by scooping out two level tablespoons of the potato. Form it into a round, slightly flat disk and place it on a large baking sheet. Repeat with all of the mashed potatoes. Refrigerate the croquettes for 15 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the eggs in a shallow bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Whisk until the eggs and water are combined. Add the panko bread crumbs, garlic powder and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt to a second shallow bowl. Toss to mix.

Remove the croquettes from the refrigerator. Dip each in the egg and then coat with the bread crumbs. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet or a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat. You may need to work in two batches depending on the size of your baking sheet. The croquettes can be placed about a 1/2 inch apart on the sheet pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully flip the croquettes over and bake for 5 to 7 more minutes, until golden brown.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the reserved onions and the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. Just as all the butter melts add the flour. Whisk the flour into the butter to create a paste. Continue to whisk for 15 to 20 seconds.

Pour in the beer and continue to whisk vigorously until the liquid is smooth with no lumps. Continue to whisk as the sauce simmers and begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add the cheese and reduce the heat to low. Whisk until melted. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Remove from the heat and serve with the warm croquettes. Garnish with dill, if desired.

Some helpful information from the U.S. Potato Board: 
A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato with skin-on has only 110 calories, has more potassium than a banana, provides 45% of your daily value of Vitamin C and has zero fat, sodium or cholesterol.

You can participate in the fun, too!
Be sure to check out the #TopTater giveaway! Simply upload your photo to Instagram, Facebook or the Potato Goodness website and tag it #TopTater for a chance to win $100. There is a giveaway every week!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the U.S. Potato Boards. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

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