It’s Saturday morning and you’re peacefully perusing the overloaded tables under The Shed at the Dallas Farmers Market. You’re stuffing your face with as many leafy greens, carrots, apples, and string beans as it will hold. Suddenly you’re struck by the sight of a couple of guys at a new booth frantically throwing food into deep fryers, trying to keep up with orders from anxiously awaiting customers. You realize your diet can wait until Monday and you hop in line to sample this deep-fried fare for yourself.

This is Croquette, one of the newest vendors to land at the ever-expanding Dallas Farmers Market, and they’re focused on serving up outstanding Cuban-style croquettes. Traditionally, croquettes (or croqueta) are small, bite-sized cylinders of potato, cheese, and meat, rolled, breaded, and deep fried until golden brown. But the guys behind Croquette, co-owners Gregory Castillo and Chris Cuan, are working hard to buck tradition and bring customers an entirely original croquette experience.

Both Castillo and Cuan hail from Miami, born to parents that immigrated from Cuba. Castillo spent time in various kitchens in Florida, including the James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Michael’s Genuine. After the pair moved to Dallas, they were determined to find a way to share a part of their Cuban heritage in their new home through cooking.

“We chose croqueta because we grew up eating them,” says Castillo, “In Miami, croquettes are everywhere…every birthday party we went to would have a tray full of them.”

“Our croquettes are really different from the ones we grew up eating, yet they’re still true to the original flavors,” says Castillo. Every little fried ball is handmade…formed, rolled, breaded, then fried to order just before being served.

“They’re insanely labor intensive,” explains Cuan. “It’s definitely a labor of love.”

While their menu is entirely composed of fried food, given their size, you can eat these mouthfuls without an overwhelming fear for your waistline. The croquettes are small, but these two-bite morsels are packed with a surprising level of flavor complexity.

Take the “Three Little Pigs”, a fried ball filled with sweet ham and bacon, chicharron, muenster cheese, and topped with a squirt of garlic-cilantro mayo. It hits all the right notes—salty, crunchy, creamy, fatty. There’s the “Deep Fried Elotes” composed of roasted corn, hominy, cotija cheese, and topped with fresh crema. It would make any roadside elote junkie squeal with joy. And there’s a “Fried Grilled Cheese” croquette filled with a variety of cheeses and a crown of spicy “tomato soup” reduction.

But perhaps Croquette’s greatest achievement is their breakfast homage, the “Hangover Cure.” Here you’ll find a fried nugget packed with soft scrambled eggs, crispy hash browns, muenster cheese, and breakfast sausage, finished with a house-made jalapeño-maple butter syrup. It’s a beautiful thing.

There’s always a barrage of sights, smells, and tastes awaiting visitors at the Dallas Farmers Market, but hunting down Croquette will be well worth your time. Enjoy some deep-fried food this weekend. Your veggies can wait.