Eggplant and Potato Croquettes with Tomato Chutney

Perfect drinks food; these golden, crunchy croquettes with their soft, almost sweet filling won’t last long at all! Especially when served with a few cold beers or sparkling ciders. For a healthier option; you can also spray these with a little olive oil and bake them in a hot oven - the results will still be delicious but not quite as crunchy and golden as this shallow-fried method. The idea for this recipe comes from Yotam Ottolenghi’s wonderful book Plenty.

Pierce the eggplants all over and place in a hot oven for one hour, or until completely soft. Set aside to cool a little. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the potatoes then place in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. Once the cooked eggplant are cool enough to handle, peel away their skins, then roughly chop and place the flesh inside a strainer set over the sink for about half an hour. This will drain excess liquid.

Transfer the eggplant and the cooked potato pieces to a large bowl. Add the egg, parmesan, parsley and seasoning to taste. Stir through 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs, then shape mixture into about 20 small, chippolata-sized sausage shapes and coat with the breadcrumbs. Place these on a board, wrap with plastic and set aside to firm up in the fridge for an hour or so.

Fill a frying-pan with sunflower oil so it’s about 1cm-deep. Place on high heat and once the oil is hot, cook your croquettes, in batches, for about one minute on each side, or until golden and crunchy. Set aside on paper towel while you finish cooking the rest, then serve hot with Beerenberg Tomato Chutney and a couple of grinds of black pepper.