Originally published on September 11, 2014
Who doesn’t have leftover mashed potatoes in their fridge after a night of comfort-food-eating? It happens to all of us. And while you can just leave them in the fridge for the mandated four days before tossing them, or end up reheating them as they are, you can also turn them into something completely new. And while my daughter, Paige, probably isn’t alone in thinking that “they taste like potatoes,” it just goes to show that while something may taste familiar, doing just a little bit of tweaking and presenting them in a way that’s just a little bit different puts a fresh spin on them that makes them entirely unique. Oh, and my hubby? The one that likes his boring old mashed potatoes on this side of his plate and the same old hunk of meat on the other side? He not only gobbled these up, he went back for more!
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, plus 1
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
2 cups panko or bread crumbs
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried dill
6 – 8 cups of canola oil, vegetable oil, or lard, for frying
3 – 4 cups of leftover mashed potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
1.) Place leftover mashed potatoes into a large bowl. Add the mozzarella cheese and one of the eggs and combine thoroughly. One by one, take a small handful of potatoes and roll them into a ball, setting aside on a plate as you do.
2.) Set up a breading station. In one bowl, place the all-purpose flour. In a second bowl, place the remaining 3 eggs and beat lightly. In a third bowl add the panko or bread crumbs, the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, salt, and pepper. Mix the bread crumbs together with the seasoning to thoroughly incorporate all ingredients together.
3.) One by one, roll the balls first in the flour, making sure to thoroughly coat all sides. Then, dip in the egg, turn to coat, and remove, letting excess drip off. Lastly, place the ball into the bread crumb mixture and roll to coat all sides. Remove, set aside on another plate and repeat with remaining potato balls.
4.) When all potato balls have been formed and breaded, place canola oil in a large Dutch oven and heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or use a deep fryer.) When oil is hot, place mashed potato balls in, in batches if necessary. You’ll need to turn them after about 3 minutes in the oil to fry all sides. When one batch is finished, remove from the oil, place on a plate lined with paper towel, and sprinkle with salt, if desired. Then repeat with remaining uncooked mashed potato balls.
5.) Serve piping hot, and enjoy!