Makes approx. 30 croquettes
adjust servings:

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For the béchamel

To serve

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Place the parsnips in the roasting tin, drizzle over the oil and roast for one hour. Remove from the oven, cut into large chunks and set aside.
  2. To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, add the flour and whisk. Remove from the heat and whisk the milk in gradually until combined. Return to a low heat and whisk until thick. Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
  3. Once the parsnips are cool enough to handle, blitz them in a food processor, add them to a large bowl, and set aside.
  4. Heat the butter in a pan. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes until soft and golden. When the shallots are nearly cooked, add the thyme. Add the mix to the bowl with the parsnip purée. Add the béchamel and mix again. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover and leave to cool.
  5. When almost cold, spoon the mix into a piping bag and pipe one inch thick lengths onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Freeze for one hour (they should be firm but not completely frozen).
  6. Remove from the freezer and cut into two inch chunks. Coat the croquettes in the flour, dip in the egg, roll in the panko breadcrumbs, and place onto a parchment-lined tray.
  7. Add the oil to a deep saucepan (make sure not to fill the pan above a third full) and place over a high heat. Bring the oil to 180 ̊C (you can check the temperature with a food thermometer, or you can drop a small cube of bread in and if it browns within 15 seconds, the temperature is good).
  8. Using a slotted spoon, carefully immerse the croquettes in the oil and cook until golden. Cook in small batches. Lift the croquettes using the slotted spoon and allow them to drain on kitchen paper before serving. Serve with cranberry sauce.

Test Kitchen Tips: Chill the croquettes in the fridge until needed.They can be made up to 24 hours in advance.

After using the oil to deep-fry, leave the oil to cool completely; it can then be passed through a sieve and reused. Oil can be used 3-4 times.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving: 536kcals, 34.7g fat (15.3g saturated), 41.3g carbs (6.2g sugars), 15.7g protein, 4g fibre, 0.34g sodium 

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