Fried Mashed Potato Balls – Leftover mashed potatoes make these perfect crisp bites for a tasty side dish or appetizer. Crunchy outside, stuffed with a creamy inside.
I do hearby declare that this is the first ‘fried’ recipe on my blog. Don’t get me wrong we do occasionally eat fried foods it’s just not something I choose to make a habit out of for my family. We try to go with healthier versions. But after sighting these at Taste of Home website I simply couldn’t resist trying them.
I love how these make use of leftover mashed potatoes and Wham! Bam! Thank you Ma’am! We’ve got a crispy delish dish, perfect as a side dish or appetizer. My kids could not wait to get their hands on these. And I know why. I couldn’t either!
Look at that creamy texture! How many of you are mashed potato fans? I certainly am. It’s a comfort food to me and call weird if you must but I eat my mashed potatoes plain. No gravy. My hubby certainly thinks that’s absurd. But why should I cover that delicious creaminess with gravy and then not even be able to taste it? See my point!?
This easy recipe turns those sad leftover mashed potatoes into something MAGICAL. If you’ve got more leftovers on your hands, you gotta check out these recipes to revive your Thanksgiving remnants. I’m especially fond of these insane Friendsgiving Nachos.
INGREDIENTS
3 c. leftover mashed potatoes
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. thinly sliced chives
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 egg, beaten
1 1/3 c. panko bread crumbs
DIRECTIONS
LENA ABRAHAM Assistant Food Editor
Lena Abraham is the assistant food editor at Delish.com, where she develops and shoots recipes for video and still
photographs.
In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes with cooked bacon, cheddar, chives,
and garlic powder, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are
incorporated.
1
Place eggs and panko in separate shallow bowls. Use a small cookie scoop to
scoop 1” to 2” balls of mashed potato mixture. Roll into a ball in your hands,
then dredge first in egg and then in panko. Repeat until all mashed potatoes are
used.
2
Heat 3” of oil in a large cast iron skillet until candy thermometer reads 375°. Fry
potato balls in batches until golden on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper
towel lined plate and season immediately with more salt.