KITCHEN PRACTICE 1 — Making a Full Batch of Croquetas
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Chapter: Spanish Cookery 7 — Frying & Croquetas

TASK
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Make a full batch of croquetas — a thick jamón or chicken béchamel,
chilled overnight, shaped, breaded in three stages, chilled again
briefly, then fried at 175-180°C.

WHAT TO DO
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1. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter with a little olive oil in a pan and
   cook a small amount of finely diced onion until soft.
2. Stir in 3 tablespoons of flour and cook for a minute or two to
   form a roux.
3. Add 1 cup of milk gradually, whisking constantly, then continue
   adding milk in larger amounts as it smooths out, until you've used
   roughly 1 cup total.
4. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is very thick and pulls away
   from the sides of the pan.
5. Fold in a generous handful of finely diced jamón or shredded
   cooked chicken, and season to taste.
6. Spread into a shallow dish, press plastic wrap directly onto the
   surface, and refrigerate overnight (or at least 3 hours) until
   firm.
7. Scoop and roll into small cylinders or ovals with lightly floured
   or damp hands.
8. Set up three shallow bowls: flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs.
   Coat each croqueta in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, fully
   covering the surface.
9. Chill the breaded croquetas for 30-60 minutes.
10. Heat oil to 175-180°C and fry in small batches of 4-5, fully
    submerged, for 3-4 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on paper
    towels.

WHAT TO EXPECT
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- The exterior should be evenly golden brown and audibly crisp when
  tapped.
- Cutting into one should reveal a molten, creamy interior — the
  béchamel should still flow slightly, not sit as a firm, set block.
- The filling should be evenly distributed throughout, not clumped
  in one spot.

WHY THIS WORKS AS AN ANSWER
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This follows the complete real technique end to end — the tripled
roux ratio, the double chill, the three-stage breading, and the
narrow frying temperature — each step doing real, necessary work
toward the final crisp-outside, molten-inside result.