Fried Stuffed Potato Balls, OH MY!

Want to impress your friends with a great appetizer or side dish? How about fried stuffed potato balls? I came up with this recipe after visiting one of my favorite restaurants. On their menu, they have beer battered mashed potato balls with a sweet dark beer reduction sauce. Well, let's just say I LOVED it! Being an amatuer chef (highlight the 'amatuer'!) I decided to make them myself. As good as they were, they were NOT the same. So with some tinkering, and some additions, I came up with a recipe that I DO like, and it has been a HIT with my friends and family ever since!

What you need:
2 Large Idaho Russet Potatoes (or 3-4 small)
5 strips of bacon 
1 medium white onion
6 ounces of shredded cheddar/cheddar blend
One egg
Bread crumbs

Assembly for these is not difficult, and you can make them as big or as small as you like. I recommend something bigger than a golf ball, but smaller than a baseball. Any thing smaller will be hard to wrap, and anything bigger (like softball size) will not heat through to the center while fying. Once you have the technique down, you can play with the size a little more and make them more bite size.

First thing you need to do is cook all the ingredients. Chop the bacon into half inch pieces or smaller, and cook off till just crispy. Remove bacon but leave the fat in the pan. Add the onion, diced. Cook until camelized and then remove from the pan. Boil the Potatoes and mash, add milk or water to get a nice creamy consistancy. Add any spices you may want to the potato now. I use chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 

Once you have everything in its own bowl or container, set up your assembly line. You need some plastic wrap, and I recommend taking two feet of it and folding it over itself so you have a one foot sheet double thick. Place some mashed potato on the plastic and fold the plastic wrap over and smash into patty/pancake. It should be a thin flat round disc. Add bacon, onion and cheese to the center and fold all four corners of the plastic wrap up so the potato closes in on the filling. Twist the potato and the wrap in your hand to make a ball. Set aside. 

Next is the breading station. Drop the balls into an egg wash (one egg, beaten with a little water added) and then into the bread crumbs. Take the potato balls and place on cooking sheet in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, just drop the balls in hot oil for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.