Papas Rellenas (Stuffed Potatoes)

On the menu today is one of my favorite Cuban snacks, Papas Rellenas.  It has been a long time since I have had these and I have never made them before but my mom and my grandmother made these all the time.  It is also one of those things you can get just about anywhere in Miami.

Ingredients:

Instant mashed potatoes (about 8 servings) (you can also use fresh mashed potatoes)
1/2 pound ground beef
half an onion minced
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup beef broth
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (or more as needed)
2 egg
2 tablespoon water
1 cup flour (or more as needed)
vegetable oil for frying  (canola oil works also)

Directions:

Make mashed potatoes according to package directions and let cool in the refrigerator over night or at least 2 to 3 hours until they are firm.

NOTE:  You want the mashed potatoes to be on the thicker side. 

Brown ground beef with minced onion and garlic, drain excess fat and add oregano, cumin, beef broth,  tomato paste and salt and pepper, combine well. Cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat. Let the meat cool off to room temperature.

Take some of the cooled mashed potato in your hand and form a little scoop in your hand with a indent in the middle. Take about a tablespoon of the ground beef (if the beef is saucy take the beef and leave the sauce out you want a dryer meat mixture in these) and put in the middle of the mashed potato scoop, take a little more mashed potato and cover the ground beef sealing over the edges and form into a ball, set aside and repeat with the rest of the potatoes and ground beef until you are out of either potatoes or ground beef.
Should make about 12 medium sized potato balls.

Take 3 bowls and add flour to one, 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of water to the other (lightly beat the eggs and water together), and seasoned bread crumbs to the last. Heat a pan with oil over medium high heat to about 350 degrees. (Use enough oil so that it covers the potatoes about half way up). Dredge potatoes one at a time first in flour then egg wash and lastly in bread crumbs. Repeat with all the potatoes.  Place potatoes  in pan a few at a time and fry in batches making sure not to overcrowd the pan.   Fry till golden brown on all sides.

Serve and enjoy!

If you have left over meat it works great for empanadas or pastelitos.  Recipes for these will be coming soon.

NOTE:  You want the mashed potatoes to be on the thicker side.
NOTE: You can also use fresh made mashed potatoes instead of instant, if you do leave out the butter and follow the same directions as above.