Walnut Cowboy Croquettes

WALNUT COWBOY CROQUETTES

Make 1 cup very thick white sauce.

[Basic white sauce: melt 1-Tablespoon butter. Blend in 1 Tablespoon of flour. No lumps allowed. Slowly add a small part of 1 cup of milk or cream, stirring constantly. When this is all one color and all smooth, add the rest of the milk slowly, stirring all the while. For thicker sauce, use more flour. probably 3 tablespoons for a sauce thick enough to bind the ingredients together and hold the hat shape. The original recipe assumes this skill has already been acquired. No doubt 50 years ago everyone but me knew how to do this.]

Beat in 1 egg.
Then stir in:

1 ½ cups ground or finely chopped turkey or chicken
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup seasoned mashed potatoes or ½ cup dry bread crumbs.
2 tablespoons each minced onion and parsley.
Dash of savory and pepper

Chill several hours, till firm enough to handle.
Have ready 2 cups dry bread crumbs, 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of water, and ¼ cup of melted butter.
[These items should be in 3 different shallow containers.]

Shape a rounded tablespoon of mix into flat patty to be the brim. Dip in crumbs, then in egg, then in crumbs again.
Shape another tablespoonful into a cone for the crown of the hat. Dip as before. Make a crease in the top of the crown, and set it on top of the brim.
Trim with narrow strips of pimiento around the base of the crown.
Add a walnut half to be a medal or some such. Brush with the melted butter.
Repeat while the mix lasts or until the baby cries. (Makes 8 hats.)
Bake at 375 degrees 20 to 25 minutes.