Almost everyone loves jamón croquetas, and they’re one of the biggest sellers in my restaurants. But we also like to play around with new flavours too – sometimes they’re a bit crazy, but they normally work. If you’re a fan of mint, add a few leaves at th

MAKES 16-20 PREP 35 mins COOK 35 mins MORE EFFORT

500ml whole milk

150ml vegetable stock

85g butter, plus an extra knob

120g plain flour

75g Manchego cheese, grated olive oil

150g morcilla (black pudding), chopped 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped pinch of caster sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

150g dry breadcrumbs sunflower oil, for deep frying

1 Heat the milk and stock together in a saucepan. In another saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat, add the flour and cook for 2-3 mins until browned. Gradually whisk the milk and stock into the butter mixture until you have a thick, smooth béchamel. Season and add the cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.

2 Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the morcilla until starting to crisp, then drain on kitchen paper.

Add a knob of butter to the pan and, when foaming, add the apple and sugar. Cook for 2-3 mins until lightly caramelised. Fold the morcilla and apple into the béchamel.

3 Spread the mixture out evenly in a shallow tray and press down. Cover with a sheet of baking parchment or cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hrs – the mixture needs to be stiff to form croquetas.

4 Put some oil in the palm of your hand and roll the mixture into balls weighing around 30g each. Put the eggs and breadcrumbs in two separate bowls. Dip the croquetas first in egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs to coat.

5 Heat the sunflower oil to 190C in a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer (or until a cube of bread browns in about 20 secs). Fry the croquetas for 2 mins or until golden, then drain on kitchen paper. Devour immediately.

PER SERVING (20) 181 kcals • fat 12g • saturates 5g • carbs 13g • sugars 2g • fibre none • protein 5g • salt 0.5g