Eggplant Croquettes

So I found a recipe on Pinterest that looked really good, it was called an 'Eggplant Sandwich' and it was with some kind of tarragon sauce and goat cheese. I figured 'hmm, I could do something like that' and this is what I came up with. I paired the sliced fried eggplant with my homemade ricotta/soft cheese and my homemade roasted tomato sauce. It was absolutely delicious!!! A combo of crispiness and lemon. So good!

Eggplant Croquettes
makes 4 servings
1 large eggplant
1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp dried parsley
4 Tbsp parmesan cheese
pinch of crushed red pepper
freshly cracked black pepper
2 cups roasted tomato sauce or whatever sauce you prefer
1 cup homemade ricotta/soft cheese or herb goat cheese (I liked the ricotta for the lemon aspect)
olive oil/vegetable oil for cooking

First off, I took my plain bread crumbs and put them in a bowl.....

Then I added all of the spices to it.... (garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, red pepper, salt, oregano, parsley, and cheese). Go ahead and mix it all up together and you should get this!

Then take the 2 eggs and the milk in a separate bowl and scramble together really well......

Then you are going to take that eggplant and use a peeler to remove the skin...

Don't freak out if it starts to turn brown. Eggplant oxidizes quickly, but it doesn't hurt the taste. Cut the ends off of the eggplant then slice into 1/4 inch slices. You could go thicker but it doesn't stay as crispy when you cook it.....

Now you are going to take each slice of eggplant and dip it in the egg on both sides.....

Then into the breadcrumbs...make sure to press it in really well!!!!

Set each piece onto a dish when you are done. They should look like this when you are done....

Now take a frying pan and put enough oil into it to fry. About 1 cup should work. Set the heat to medium.

Once oil is hot (you can tell by adding a sprinkle of breadcrumbs into the oil, if it starts frying immediately, the oil is ready) go ahead and put a few slices of eggplant in....

Allow each side to brown. It took about 5 mins per side for me (but I have a gas stove-top). Go ahead and flip them.

When both sides are brown, drain on paper towels....

You should have a nice stack when you are done. I had 16 pieces. It doesn't look like it's too much, but this meal is really filling actually!

Once all of the slices are cooked, let them cool for like 5 mins so you can handle them with your hands. Take a slice and add about 1 Tbsp of the ricotta to it....

Then lay another slice on top, it looks kind of like an ice cream sandwich!

Go ahead and make all of the slices up into sandwiches. Then you are going to take about 1/4-1/2 cup of the tomato sauce (depending on how much sauce you like) and spoon into bottom of plate/bowl. Then place 2 croquettes on each plate. Put a little sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on top if you like or even go ahead and add more sauce if you like.....

The end result...........

Eat it while it's hot...so yummy!!!!