Japanese Croquettes

2 C mashed potatoes
250 grams minced chicken
1 minced onion
(1-2 cloves garlic - minced)
1 T olive oil
salt 
pepper
3 eggs
flour
panko (Japanese Dry Bread Crumbs)
Canola oil for frying

To make the mashed potatoes

Wash thoroughly (no need to peel) and cut into roughly 1½ cm cubes:

About 500 grams potatoes

Place in a pot, and almost cover completely with water. A few little bits sticking out from the top of the water is not a problem.  

Add:

½ t salt

Cover and boil until soft. Test by sticking a fork into one of the bigger pieces. It should go in easily.

Remove from heat and drain the water by holding the lid of the pan slightly askew and allowing the water to pour out (but not the potatoes).

Add:

1-1½ T butter
(a little milk)

Mash the potatoes. They should be a little on the dry side, not creamy. You want them to hold together into patties.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and stir fry the onions, (garlic), and meat.

Mix the mashed potatoes and the meat together thoroughly, adding salt and a little pepper to taste.

Make patties using about ¼ C mixture for each. (You'll probably get about 12.)

Put about ½ C flour in a disposable plastic bag. Scramble the eggs in a bowl. Put about 1 C bread crumbs in a disposable plastic bag.

Now, take the patties one-by-one and first coat them with flour, then dip them in the eggs, and finally coat them with bread crumbs. When you have enough ready, you can start frying them. Handle them gently.

Heat about 1cm of canola oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan. As always, the oil is hot enough when the ends of a wooden chopstick put into the oil bubbles. 

Carefully place a single layer of patties in the oil. When they are golden brown, turn them carefully and brown the other side. Drain on a grill over newspaper. 

If you have leftovers, they can be used in an obento or reheated in a toaster oven or grill to crisp the outsides.