They're not measuring ingredients, and they don't need to.
Watching Stanley Tucci cooking with his mom feels as wholesome as it sounds. In an Instagram video, the The Devil Wears Prada 2 star and his mom, Joan, move through a familiar family recipe without much ceremony—he checks in on what comes next, she answers in a way that skips measurements entirely. And, often, cooking from the heart rather than following a written recipe is exactly what makes family recipes so special.
There’s a little back-and-forth, a few quiet corrections and the sense that neither of them is especially interested in slowing things down for the sake of explanation. When Stanley asks about amounts, his mom says, “you have to feel it.” In our fast-paced lives, cooking by instinct can be a welcome task, a reminder to slow down and take in the joyfulness of cooking.
What is Stanley Tucci’s favorite childhood dish?
In the Instagram video, Stanley and his mom make potato croquettes, a dish his mom often made when he was growing up. The dish consists of humble ingredients, shaped by hand and cooked until the outside is golden and crisp. No wonder it’s a family favorite!
Croquettes are typically made by mixing a soft base, such as mashed potatoes, with cheese and other fillings, then forming small portions and frying them until crisp on the outside and tender inside. They come in all kinds of variations (like bacon-cheddar potato croquettes), but this version is especially simple.
How to Make Tucci Family Potato Croquettes
It starts with boiled potatoes, mashed until smooth enough to work with. From there, mix in eggs and grated pecorino Romano, along with a bit of flour and bread crumbs to help everything hold together. The mixture isn’t built from a strict ratio so much as adjusted in real time—add a little, mix, see where it lands, then decide if it needs more.
The pair has fun shaping the croquettes by hand—Stanley describes them as “cigar-shaped,” while Joan adds a little guidance: “not too fat, not too thin,” before joking, “like a worm.” They land somewhere in between. After pointing out that they definitely look homemade, they both laugh, and Stanley looks at his own batch and says they look like they were made with someone’s feet.
Despite their “rustic” shape, the croquettes do look absolutely delicious—crisp on the outside with a soft, cheesy center. I think I know exactly what I’m adding to my dinner menu this week. They’d be delicious with a springy salad or steamed veggies.
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