食レポ：トレーダー・ジョーズのパパス・コロッケ

Food Review: Trader Joe’s PAPAS Croquettes
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This time, I would like to introduce PAPAS Rellenas, which has been my go-to food since I started living in an apartment. It is crispy mashed potatoes with ground beef.

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(The meat looks like bread, but it’s actually mashed potatoes with plenty of butter.)

Contents:
* Butter-rich mashed potatoes
* Ground beef sautéed with grilled onions (red bell peppers add a pop of color)
* Coated with breadcrumbs and already fried, just like in Japan
(Comes in a pack of 4, with 2 pieces per pack for convenience)

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Preparation:
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* Place in an oven-safe container
* Heat at 350°F for 30 minutes
(For a slightly crispier texture, try 325°F for 35 minutes)

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These are frozen mashed potato croquettes with beef filling, in a Central/South American style. At first, I enjoyed them as a snack or appetizer. This time, I tried them for lunch, heating them in the oven and topping them with Otafuku’s sweet tonkatsu sauce, then eating them with rice and kimchi. The combination was amazing!!

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Until now, I had enjoyed the subtle lingering aroma of butter and red peppers contrasted with the robust beef flavor,
eating it on its own. However, this time it proved to have more than enough impact to serve as a main dish.

Taste:
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It’s a pity that the lingering aroma of butter is lost due to the power of the tonkatsu sauce,
but in its place, the sweetness vs. umami shock of [the eternal rivals finally meeting]
between fried food and rice spread throughout my mouth.
The addition of the sourness of kimchi enveloped me in an indescribable sense of fulfillment and happiness.

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Furthermore, when the ground meat in the center touched the white rice,
I was reminded of my elementary school days when I first tasted minced meat cutlets.
(At that time, there was no tonkatsu sauce, only Worcestershire sauce or ketchup…)

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After that, naturally,
I always keep two boxes in the freezer. Smile

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Though it may be called an “advanced application,”
I would like to try cutting this croquette in half,
sanding it with sautéed cabbage in a roll,
and eating it as a beef croquette sandwich.
(A special sauce made with tonkatsu sauce, sweet bean paste, and mustard would go well with it…)

(August 12) Update:
I actually made the croquette sandwich and tried it. Yay!

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The latter half veered off-topic and became too personal, so I apologize…

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Note:
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Trader Joe’s is a medium-sized, community-oriented supermarket in LA that I’ve been patronizing since I came to the US as an exchange student 35 years ago. It’s a unique store that can’t be easily described as just a “supermarket.”
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About 25 years ago, it was like a local food version of a flea market, using unique connections to buy nuts, wine, cheese, chocolate, sweets, coffee beans, and more from around the world at clearance prices, then selling them at extremely low prices right before the expiration date. It had a slightly shady vibe.
Of course, it was vastly different from a typical supermarket, with a “what you see is what you get” approach—you couldn’t find everything you needed there, but it was a beloved local hidden gem.
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However, it has steadily expanded its food offerings, and today, except for some fresh produce, it develops its own unique products in nearly every category, earning it the reputation as a “you can’t buy it anywhere else, but it’s cheap!” store beloved by California residents.
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Before losing my home, I used to buy coffee beans, eggs, dairy products, and corn chips about twice a month. But after losing my home, I lost the motivation to cook, so I decided to try the frozen “World Famous Dishes Series” that I had been curious about, and I was amazed by how delicious they were.

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Translated with DeepL.com