There’s this really awesome cooking school/kitchenware store in North Beverly called Eurostoves. I recently went for a team-building exercise and our group put together a full turkey dinner for Thanksgiving in October.
We learned lots of tips to take the hassle out of the turkey day dinner – like make-ahead dishes to reduce the stress and just enjoy your wacky family. Recipes from the class included:
- Turkey Brining and Apple Cider Gravy
- Apple Celery and Smoked Ham Dressing
- Mashed Potatoes with Sage and Cheddar
- Marmalade Cinnamon Cranberry
- Herbed Butternut Bisque (Almost like a dessert soup!)
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Citrus and Coriander
- Creamed Mushrooms, Onions and Brussels Sprouts (OMG! This is how you get kids to eat brussel sprouts!!)
- Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Caramelized Onions
- Goat Cheese Toasts
- Potato Broccoli Croquettes (See recipe below)
- Autumn Trifle
The whole experience took about three hours plus we were able to enjoy all of the dishes we “slaved” over. The kitchen environment is absolutely amazing – I wish I could transplant their stoves and ovens into my tiny apartment kitchen. You have the free reign of all the ingredients in the fridge, pantry and spice cabinet. It’s a foodie dream!
The dish I was tasked to make was an appetizer for broccoli-potato croquettes, a recipe that originally appeared in “Bon Appetit” magazine in Nov. 2003. It was a labor intensive dish but it could be a real showstopper if you’re looking to shmooze some of your relatives on Thanksgiving.
Potato and Broccoli Croquettes
Ingredients
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled
- 3 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cook broccoli in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer broccoli to bowl.
Return water to boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 35 minutes. Drain. Let potatoes stand until cool enough to handle. Peel. Place in large bowl and mash.
Finely chop broccoli. (They let me use the really big Cuisinart food processor here!)
Mix broccoli, 1 cup breadcrumbs*, egg yolks, Parmesan, salt and white pepper (I personally like black pepper so I think it’s up to you as well as what you find more cosmetically pleasing) into potatoes. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold whites into potato mixture. Form mixture into sixteen 2-inch-diameter, 3/4-inch-thick patties. Coat with breadcrumbs; place on baking sheet.
*You can use the food processor to make your breadcrumbs, too. Hint: Make sure the crumbs are fine enough – almost like a course sand. I didn’t grind mine enough so there were a few hunks of bread that didn’t want to coat well.
Finally, heat 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the croquettes and cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet. (I lined mine with paper towel to let some of the excess oil drain off.) Then, repeat the process with the remaining prepared croquettes.
You can prepare the croquettes as much as eight hours in advance. Cover and chill, then when ready to reheat, uncover and place in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes.
Eats by Xtina 
Went to Eurostoves on Friday for team-building and had a blast. We’re still talking about the experience. Thanks for sharing this secret North Shore gem!