Croquetas de jamón (Spanish ham croquettes)

The bar snack Spain judges a kitchen by: a thick, slowly cooked bechamel studded with jamón, chilled, breaded and fried until the outside shatters and the inside barely holds together. The dough needs time, so make it the day before.

Ingredients

• 80 g butter plus 2 tbsp olive oil
• 120 g plain flour
• 750 ml whole milk, warm
• 150 g serrano or ibérico ham, finely chopped (or leftover chicken, cod or mushrooms)
• Nutmeg, salt and black pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Fine breadcrumbs
• Oil for frying

Method

1. Melt the butter with the oil and cook the ham for 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until it smells toasty.
2. Add the warm milk a ladleful at a time, whisking constantly. Keep cooking over low heat for 15-20 minutes until the dough is very thick and pulls away from the pan. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
3. Spread in a dish, press cling film onto the surface and chill at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
4. Shape into small logs, coat in flour, egg and breadcrumbs (double-coat for extra crunch).
5. Fry in hot oil (180 C) in small batches for 2-3 minutes until deep golden. Rest 2 minutes before serving - the inside is lava.

Tips

• If the bechamel is not thick enough to shape, it has not cooked long enough.
• They freeze perfectly once breaded; fry from frozen, one minute longer.