- Allison
Loaded Mashed Potato Balls
These mashed potato balls are a simple and tasty way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, a great appetizer for crowds, or even a fun snack or side dish. The best part is that it requires no deep-frying! It can be whipped together quickly, even if you are a beginner cook. Let's get cooking!
Nutrition Facts:
Servings: 20-25 balls
Per serving:
Cal: 135 Total Fat: 5.5g Total Carbs: 16g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Protein: 5.3g
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
4 cups of mashed potatoes, cold
1 lb of bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 1 - 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup onion, diced (green onion is best, but any kind will work)
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika (split in half)
1 1/2 tsp garlick powder (split in half)
2 eggs
Optional: 2 tbsp of hot sauce (I use Cholula)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs
20-25 cubes of cheddar cheese (depending on how big or small you want the balls to be)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F / 204 C.
Add the 4 cups of mashed potatoes, 1 lb of cooked and crumbled bacon, 1/2 cup diced onion, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 3/4 tsp of smoked paprika, and 3/4 tsp of garlick powder to a large bowl and mix until combined. If your mashed potatoes are already seasoned, you can skip adding the seasonings in this step.
In a shallow bowl, whisk the 2 eggs and the 2 tbsp of hot sauce together until combined. The hot sauce is just for flavour, not heat, but you can decrease the amount or cut it out completely if you prefer.
In another shallow bowl, add 1/2 cup of flour, 3/4 tsp of smoked paprika, and 3/4 tsp of garlick powder. Mix until combined.
In another bowl, add the 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs.
Lightly flour your hands, and take about 2-3 tbsp of the mashed potato mixture and gently flatten it in your hand. Add a cheese cube right in the middle, fold the mashed potato mixture over it, and form a ball shape.
Coat the ball in the flour mixture.
Coat the ball in the egg mixture.
Lastly, coat the ball in the breadcrumbs and set it aside on a baking sheet. Repeat this process with the rest of the balls.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. I like to use the bacon grease that is left over from when I cooked the bacon for this recipe as the “oil”.
Add as many balls as will fit and cook on one side until browned, which is about 2-3 minutes. Roll the balls around in the skillet and continue browning most of the sides. Repeat this until all of the balls have been browned.
Add the balls back onto the baking sheet and bake for about 5-10 minutes, or until they are heated through.
Serve immediately by itself, with gravy, sour cream, or even ranch dressing/dip. Enjoy!
Notes:
Make the mashed potatoes according to your liking. I like to mash mine in a stand mixer with some butter and lots of seasoning (I might bring out the recipe soon!).
Again, the balls can be as small or as big as you like, but just make sure to adjust the cooking times accordingly.
The measurements do not have to be exact; just use what you have, as it pretty much always turns out yummy!
Make sure to use cold mashed potatoes, as they will hold their shape better.
I highly recommend using the hot sauce in this recipe. Hot sauce is like my secret ingredient for making fried foods a lot better, so you do not want to skip it. But if you really, really want to, these balls will still turn out great without it.
These mashed potato balls make excellent leftovers, as they are super easy to heat up. I usually pop them in a 425-degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes. You can also broil them for a minute or two to get some extra crispness.
The nutrition facts are approximate as they depend on how you prepared your mashed potatoes, how big the balls were, any ingredient substitutions, etc. The hot sauce is not included in the nutrition facts as it is an optional ingredient.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and if you do, let me know in the comments below!
See you next Wednesday!