Sweet Potato Maple Pecan Goat Cheese Croquettes

A couple of months ago, I posted a recipe for Bitterballen following our trip to the Netherlands. I used that recipe as the base for these creamy Sweet Potato Croquettes featuring Sincerely, Brigitte™ Maple Pecan Goat Cheese.

While in Amsterdam, we visited the Foodhallen- an upscale indoor food court. One of the stands was called De BallenBar and they had Bitterballen in a variety of flavors. My favorite was the goat cheese. When deciding what to make with Sincerely Brigitte’s Maple Pecan Goat Cheese, I was excited to incorporate it into these croquettes. To keep the recipe kosher, I substituted the meat for sweet potato and the beef stock for milk. To add to the wonderful maple pecan flavor, I mixed some ground pecans into the breadcrumb coating and whisked maple syrup into the more traditional mustard dipping sauce.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Sincerely, Brigitte. All comments and opinions are my own.

Sincerely, Brigitte™, created by Brigitte Mizrahi, features cheese with bold, innovative flavors using only fresh ingredients. All of their products are gluten free and certified kosher by OK Kosher. I love that the flavors are available in a variety of convenient sizes and packages including 7 and 3.5 ounce chunks, sticks, grab n go, slices, goat crumbles, goat tubes, variety tray, sampling trio, and loaves. You can find the cheese at over 1,000 club stores, supermarkets and independent specialty retailers in the US and abroad, including Mexico, Canada and Australia.

 

Sincerely, Brigitte’s Maple Pecan Goat Cheese offered an incredible creamy maple pecan flavor lightly sweetened with brown sugar for the filling. Their cheese uses pasteurized cultured milk from Wisconsin dairy farms as the base and is formed into cheese using kosher vegetarian rennet. The goat cheese flavors are available in tubes (Maple Pecan, Jalapeño, Sriracha, Raspberry Chocolate, Mediterranean Spice, Truffle) and crumbles (Sriracha, Mediterranean Spice, Truffle).

Check out my other recipes using Sincerely, Brigitte™ cheese: Fried Ravioli with Raspberry Chocolate Goat Cheese and Pumpkin Cheese Soup with Garlic Basil Cheese Crisps.

After making the filling, it needs to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours to overnight to chill thoroughly and thicken. Once you are ready to form them into croquettes, keep a bowl of water nearby or flour to coat your hands. This will make the filling easier to form and coat.

Make sure you double coat the croquettes with the breadcrumb mixture- breadcrumbs, egg, then more breadcrumbs. I forgot on the first few and it definitely makes a difference in creating a crisp texture that is less likely to break apart. Fry the croquettes just until golden. If they cook too long, then the filling is more likely to seep out.

If you find that some of the filling is starting to spill out during frying, place the coated, ready-to-fry croquettes in the freezer briefly or refrigerator for about 30 minutes to help keep them intact. The coated croquettes can also be frozen ahead of time and fried straight from the freezer when ready to serve.

Sweet Potato Maple Pecan Goat Cheese Croquettes
Slightly adapted from The Dutch Table
Serves 4-6

Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/3 pounds cooked and mashed sweet potato
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 ounces Sincerely Brigitte maple pecan goat cheese
Coating:
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 cup ground pecans
2 eggs
For serving:
Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup

 

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to make a paste. Cook for a minute, while stirring, then slowly mix in the milk. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture has thickened. Stir in the mashed sweet potatoes, salt, and nutmeg. Once heated through, stir in the maple pecan goat cheese and remove from heat. Transfer the mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled and thickened, fill a pot or deep fryer with 3-4 inches of vegetable oil. heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Cover a plate with a towel and place nearby. In a shallow wide bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and pecans. In another bowl, beat together the eggs. Place a plate nearby.

Remove a tablespoon of the thickened filling and roll it into a ball. Coat thoroughly in the breadcrumbs, then the eggs, and again in the breadcrumbs. Place on a plate and repeat with another 4-5 pieces. Add to the heated oil and fry until golden, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining filling.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dijon mustard and maple syrup. Serve immediately with the hot sweet potato maple pecan goat cheese croquettes.