These Fried Mashed Potato Ballsare super creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside! A perfect appetizer recipe for using up leftover mashed potatoes!
Leftovers of our Perfectly Smooth Mashed Potatoes are what we use to make these crispy, fried potatoes balls! Dip them in your favorite dipping sauce or our famous Awesome Sauce!
Leftover Mashed Potatoes Transformed!
When we make mashed potatoes, we make a lot. I don’t think we ever make less than the five pound bag of potatoes, I mean what’s the point?
If you’re going through the trouble of peeling, boiling and ricing potatoes you might as well make a LOT. Mashed potatoes are good in your refrigerator for at least a few days of meals, and then there are leftover recipes like these Fried Mashed Potatoes.
All you need to make this appetizer recipe is your leftover mashed potatoes, bread crumbs and a couple of eggs. And yes, if you don’t happen to have leftover potatoes, you can still make these fried potato balls!
Just grab pre-made mashed potatoes at the grocery store, there are a few brands that make really good mashed potatoes right in the butcher department at the store.
Can You Use Instant Mashed Potatoes For This Appetizer Recipe?
I knew you were going to ask that, so here’s the short answer. Nope. Sorry! First of all, I’m not a fan of instant mashed potatoes. They might have their place in certain recipes, I won’t deny that.
But for just straight up eating? I’d rather skip it or at least buy the good packaged kind at the store. But for this recipe specifically, instant mashed potatoes will be too loose and too smooth so these fried mashed potatoes will just fall apart on you when you go to fry them up.
Also, instant mashed potatoes have a thinner consistency that aren’t going to work the best for these Fried Mashed Potato Balls. We’re looking for thick, creamy mashed potatoes to get a “ball” that’s going to hold together.
Can You Bake These Mashed Potato Balls?
Again, nope.
Sorry but this appetizer recipe requires a good old fashioned fried recipe. Don’t be afraid of the deep fry my friends! No need to get fancy with your equipment, just a heavy deep pot and a fry thermometer, if you have one. Otherwise, you can drop a bread cube into the oil to test it, if it browns up in 10 seconds your oil is good for frying.
Do invest in a thermometer though if you can. They are very inexpensive and we use it for so many different recipes!
Can You Make These Fried Potatoes Ahead Of Time?
You can, I’ll give you a yes on this one! But not too long ahead…
You can keep these mashed potato balls in the oven (350 degrees) to keep warm while you are frying them and up to a couple of hours in advance. If you are keeping them warm for an hour or two, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. They’ll still be nice and crispy!
Looking For More Appetizer Recipes?
Crock Pot (Lighter) Buffalo Chicken Dip
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
Roasted Tomato Basil Pizza
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Fried Mashed Potatoes
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This leftover mashed potato recipe makes super creamy and super crispy appetizers!
Scale
Ingredients
4 cups leftover mashed potatoes (or store bought, pre-made)
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup flour
Vegetable or canola oil for frying
Instructions
Start heating a large, deep pot filled halfway with oil over medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees.
While the oil is heating, mix together the mashed potatoes, cream cheese, chives, one egg, parmesan cheese, the garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Roll into balls about the size of a golf ball and set on a board.
In three bowls set out the bread crumbs, flour and the remaining 2 eggs beaten with a tablespoon of water.
Dip each mashed potato ball into the flour first, shaking off the excess, then into the beaten egg, letting the excess drip off, and then last into the bread crumbs.
Once your oil reaches about 350 degrees, start frying the balls in batches, not overcrowding the pot as you fry.
Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and then remove to a paper towel lined board or plate.
While still warm, top with extra salt and parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
You can keep these in the oven on low (250º) for about 30 minutes to an hour if you want to make them ahead of time.
Nutrition information is approximate, it will depend on the recipe that you used for the mashed potatoes.
These potato croquettes are the perfect way to use leftovers. If your mashed potatoes are high in liquid (such as milk), the mixture will give off steam as it fries, which may cause the croquettes to fall apart.
Place mashed potatoes in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the egg, cheese, onions and bacon. Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in bread crumbs. ...
In an electric skillet, heat 1 in. oil to 375°. Fry potato balls, a few at a time, until golden brown, 2-1/2 to 3 minutes.
You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.
The yolk emulsifies water and fat to create a cohesive, velvety bite, while providing a little fat and body of its own. What is this? You can add an egg yolk to nearly any existing mashed potato recipe.
Avoid stirring too much when frying. Try frying raw potatoes in enough oil (I usually pour ~0.3 cm of oil for a full pan of potatoes) on medium-high or high heat WITHOUT the lid and WITHOUT salt/pepper. Stir them not often (but don't let them burn, indeed) till they are crispy enough on all sides.
Do I need to boil my potatoes first? Trust us: You seriously don't need to boil these spuds (or pre-cook them at all) before pan-frying. Slicing them thin allows them to cook through in the same amount of time that they need to get brown and crispy on the outside.
Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.
When potatoes are cut and exposed to air, they release water and begin to soften. By rinsing them with cold water, you help the cells retain some of their firmness, ensuring a better texture in the final product. Before frying the potatoes, make sure to dry them thoroughly with a paper towel or a clean cloth.
You avoid thin mashed potatoes by first draining your boiled potatoes well and then not adding too much liquid. By themselves, potatoes mash quiet thick. Adding too much butter or liquid will thin them.
Add Egg Yolks For Richer And Creamier Homemade Mashed Potatoes. Eggs are an almighty staple with multifaceted culinary powers that can thicken, flavor, emulsify, and bind ingredients in countless recipes from baked goods to soups to sauces.
Enter instant mashed potato flakes. Add a spoonful of potato flakes at the end of cooking time, and it will thicken things right up. You can even use this trick with foods like roast beef or other slow cooked or pressure cooked meats that have flavorful juices that you want to turn into a gravy-like texture.
Overworking the potatoes will cause them to get gummy, potatoes should still be light and fluffy. 6. Add the butter first. Adding the butter first helps to coat the starch in the potato, resulting in a creamier potato.
The addition of a mildly acidic vinegar to a starchy veggie like potatoes not only deepens the flavor profile, but it also helps to tenderize the tubers.
Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!
Another crucial aspect while making the Fried Mashed Potato Balls is the moisture content. Too much moisture can make the balls fall apart during frying. So, after boiling, I always let the potatoes sit in the pot for an extra couple of minutes on the stove with the heat turned off.
If potatoes are produced during a very dry growing season, they will tend to have a higher than normal solid content and less moisture. When these are cooked, they absorb more water than usual and, as a result, fall apart at the end of cooking.
Using a potato ricer or food mill breaks down cooked potatoes without overworking them, and from there you can gently fold in butter and milk for light and airy mashed potatoes, or you can control the level of starch manipulation to produce creamy pommes purée.
Instead, try putting the mashed potatoes through a potato ricer to try and break them up without overworking them. You could also jazz up your mashed potatoes with ingredients like chopped bacon or scallions that can mask the lumpy texture.
Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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