Parmentier Croquettes With Anchovies

Preparation:

Preparation: Wash the potatoes and boil them, in their skins, in salted water; then drain, peel and pass them through a potato masher, collecting them in a bowl. Add about 70 g of butter, the grated Emmental cheese, a large pinch of pepper, a little grated nutmeg and an egg. Stir carefully, mixing perfectly. Now take a spoonful of the mixture, place it in the hollow of your hand, insert a rolled up anchovy, then shape it into a croquette the size of an apricot. Proceed in the same way with the rest of the mixture. Arrange the croquettes, closely spaced, in a previously buttered baking dish, brush the surface with beaten egg, then bake at 200 degrees for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare an anchovy sauce: melt the remaining butter over a low heat and dilute the anchovy paste; then add the chopped basil and lemon juice. Mix everything and keep the sauce warm. When the croquettes are ready, remove them from the oven, sprinkle them with the sauce and serve immediately, taking the dish directly to the table.