Perkedel (Indonesian potato croquette)

Potato lovers will love this dish. Perkedel is a well known potato dish in Indonesia, it is normally served to be eaten with rice, and it tastes fantastic when eaten with sambal (chilly with shrimp paste). I love potatoes, and Perkedel is one of my favourite food since childhood. This recipe will feed four people.

Ingredients

Four firm potatoes - peel and cut to small pieces
Two sprigs of spring onion - mince
Two celery sticks - mince
Fried shallots - amount as desired

Salt 
White pepper

1 egg 
1 egg yolk

Plenty of Oil (for frying)
Kitchen paper towel (for oil absorption)

Cooking method

Heat plenty of oil in pan on medium heat, fry the small chunks of potatoes until cooked. Cooked potatoes should be soft with slightly brown coloured skin. Remember to flip the potatoes once and a while so that each side is evenly browned. When the potatoes are cooked, pick up the potatoes from the oil and put in a paper towel covered bowl. Set aside to cool.

Transfer the cooked potatoes into a big bowl, mash the potatoes until there are no lumps. Keep mixing: Add a good sprinkle of salt and white pepper, minced spring onion, minced celery, fried shallots, and an egg. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Taste to see if more salt, shallots and white pepper are needed. Cover the bowl with cling wrap, and leave in a fridge for an hour.

Take out the potato mixture from the fridge. The texture should be quite dense after refrigeration, if not, leave in the fridge for longer, if this doesn't help, you might have picked the wrong type of potatoes - sorry. With a soup spoon, scoop the potato mixture, and form dough to a circular shape with your hands. Do this to all of the potato mixture. 

In a small bowl, stir the egg yolk. Heat plenty of oil in pan on medium heat. Quickly dip the shaped potato dough into the egg yolk, fry on the pan. Fry until all sides of the potato dough are evenly browned. Put the cooked Perkedel into a paper towel covered bowl. 

Wipe all excess oil on the Perkedels, and serve on a serving plate with chilly paste, rice, and other Malaysian / Indonesian dishes.

Corned beef is popularly added to Perkedels. I will try this next time.