I hesitate to write this because it sounds silly. But its true. I made turkey croquettes for the first time a few years ago, inspired by the Garfield Thanksgiving Special. In that episode, Jon ruined Thanksgiving dinner, which was also to be his first date with his dream girl. He called Grandma to come fix it, and she made Turkey Croquettes. I had been simply fascinated by the idea of them since I was a child. So I made them and they are so good. I used Grandma Arbuckle's method, which is basically make a béchamel, add the turkey plus some seasonings. I use grated onion, sage, thyme, and whatever else I fancy. Mix the turkey with the béchamel and chill THOURGHLY, then roll into balls, roll in beaten egg, then breadcrumbs then fry. I do not make them often because I am almost never in a position to get leftover turkey. but they are a real treat.

Just for fun: The relevent recipe starts at 18:50:

Amylou, your story is charming! And your way of making them sounds better than any of the recipes I've read. I've seen béchamel in some, but not used as the only glue. Chilled THOROUGHLY it's solid paste, and I get why it would work. :) I like that yours doesn't have a heavy starch binder. Thanks!

A blast from the past — my father used to make turkey croquettes when I was a kid! I don’t know what recipe he used, but I don’t remember it including a bechamel sauce or heavy binder. He also made codfish balls, and I’m not sure what he used for a binder in them either. I wonder if my mother would know.

A lot of people make turkey croquettes like crumb coated meatballs, and others put all the Thanksgiving leftovers in using the stuffing or potatoes as a binder. Both legit, but not what I want to make. I want mine to be about turkey, not the whole T'day, which is why I like Amy's. There's flour in the sauce, of course, but not a whole big glob of stuffing. :)

PM, if your mother knows how they were made, I'd love to hear!

Plllog, I’ll try to remember to ask her today. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just made them like a stiff turkey sandwich spread, shaped them (more like torpedos than balls), then coated and fried them. He definitely didn’t add stuffing or mashed potatoes.

eta: my dad cooked and baked often, and he had a knack for finding good recipes!

My Mum made them like Amylou. Makes me want to eat some.I've made the Hairy Bikers' and they're good.

https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/recipes/1717773/chicken-croquettes

plllog, she said she's fairly certain that he used a recipe from a standard old cookbook -- she thinks it was Betty Crocker.

eta: I checked and my standard old cookbooks don't have any croquette recipe. I suspect you'll need a cookbook that's from the 1950s or earlier! I picked up an old one a few years ago at the SA-Ltd (Salvation Army Store :) -- I wanted the recipe for homemade candy canes -- but I can't find it and think I may have given the book to my niece. :p

LOL! I was given the Betty Crocker when I was about 9. it never occured to me to check that one!

Thanks IC and PM!

Having checked fancier sources and not liking what I found, I've learned I should go classic and animated. ;)

I'd check Betty Crocker, Better Homes & Gardens, and any of those old "Home Grange" community-type cookbooks that you might have!

LOL! PM, the closest I have to the grange is the black family reunion cookbook, as in not at all like the grange. But there could be a recipe in there. i didn't think to look. Recently, I got a compilation reprint the suffragist's cookbook, maybe a bit like the grange but urban, which might also have one. I think all my community cookbooks are Jewish, which would have plenty of eggs, but no béchamel with turkey because the great rabbis had a vote a couple thousand years ago (I forget the year) and by one vote decided that milk and birds had to be at separate meals even though birds don't have mother's milk, and the whole reasoning for separating them at all is that it would be cruel to kill mama cow's calf and then cook it in her milk. (The original prohibition was actually referring to a pagan thing where they did just that, and was really about not doing pagan things, but continued on the kindness to cows (goats, sheep, etc.) policy.)

Sorry, I'm only minimally familiar with Jewish food/other requirements. That must obviously mean that the use of butter or any other dairy product is out too. I've searched on-line and don't find any recipe that resembles what I remember my father making. His were actually full of turkey -- not stuffing and mashed potatoes. lol!

PM, I was only thinking on the cookbooks. I don't keep kosher, at least by tradition, but the books do. My deal, but not totally strictly, is humane and sustainable.

I like Amylou's method, and will probably go with that and a tradition T'day flavor profile. Like, not the stuffing, but the onions, sage, thyme, etc. that I would put in stuffing.

Never made turkey croquettes, but made chicken croquettes and I suspect there is not a lot of difference.

Essentially did what Party Music suggested.....made a heavy bechamel, minced up the leftover chicken, added enough of the becahmel to hang it together, refrigerated, formed little croquettes, crumbed with fine bread crumbs and fried.

For cod fish cakes just soak and flake dried cod with mashed potatoes...just enough to hold it together unless you have unexpected company, then add more potatoes

plllog, since you're going for turkey and something fried, you could just fry the whole turkey. I've never had a fried turkey, but I hear it's wonderful. :)

Very funny. :D

I'm all for gender equality, but that always seems to be something men do with beer in hand. Beer or not, if one of my menfolk wanted to do that, I'd hand him my fireball, and banish him to an open expanse of concrete...

Fried turkey IS wonderful. Brined, injected and fried properly it cannot be beaten. I also, leave that to the males to handle though.....OUTSIDE!