Air-Fryer Turkey Croquettes
The Thanksgiving-leftovers dish that justifies cooking a whole turkey by itself. Shredded turkey, mashed potato, scallions, sage, bound into discs, panko-coated, air-fried until the outsides shatter. Served with sour-cream-and-chive dip.
The turkey croquette is one of those legacy dishes from the era when home economics columns in newspapers gave you ideas for using up the third day of Thanksgiving leftovers. The principle is sound: shred cold turkey, bind it with mashed potato (also leftover), add seasoning, form into discs, bread and fry. The result is hot, crisp, savoury — a totally different dinner from the cold-turkey-sandwich track that most leftovers default to.
The air fryer is genuinely the right tool for these. Pan-fried croquettes require a layer of oil in the bottom of a skillet and careful flipping; deep-fried croquettes are even more involved. The air fryer crisps both sides at once with a tablespoon of oil sprayed on, and the cook time is short enough that the inside stays creamy.
The croquette mix here is engineered to bind without being dense: shredded turkey + cooled mashed potato + an egg + scallions + sage
- a small amount of breadcrumbs. The mashed potato is the binder; the egg holds everything together; the breadcrumbs add structure. You shape the patties, dredge them in flour-egg-panko, refrigerate to firm up, then air-fry.
The photo shows the plated finish: about 10 golden-bronze croquettes scattered on a parchment-lined oval black plate, with a small ceramic bowl of sour-cream-and-chive dip alongside. A glass of white wine in the background. This is a dinner-party appetiser, a meal-prep lunch, or the second-best use of leftover turkey (the best being a sandwich).
Method
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01
Mix the croquettes
In a bowl, gently combine the shredded turkey, mashed potatoes,
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02
Shape
Divide into 10 portions. Form each into a flat disc about 2½
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03
Set up dredging stations
Three bowls: flour; beaten egg; panko mixed with dried sage,
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04
Bread
Working one at a time, dust the patty in flour, dip in egg, then
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05
Chill briefly
Refrigerate the breaded croquettes 10 minutes — this firms them
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06
Air fry
Heat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Spray each croquette with
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07
Make the dip
While the croquettes cook, stir together the sour cream, chives,
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08
Serve
Plate the croquettes on a platter with the dip alongside. Garnish