If you have a bunch of leftover mashed potatoes from dinner the day before, reinvent them into something a million times tastier! These mashed potato balls are crispy on the outside, super fluffy on the inside and oozing with cheese and bacon. What could possibly be better?!
The best part about Thanksgiving is the leftovers the next day but if you’re looking for something different to do with them this year, this is exactly what you need to make! You can really never go wrong when potatoes, cheese, and bacon are involved. This is truly the best way to repurpose leftovers if you’re sick of the same old turkey day leftovers sandwich every year. Let’s make it!
How to Make It
To start off, we are going to need cold leftover mashed potatoes from the night before! You want to use mashed potatoes that are not too creamy or have too much moisture (which might be difficult if you used the recipe on the blog). If they’re too creamy, these balls won’t hold their shape and pop open in the fryer.
This recipe will use 3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes which ends up making about 16 to 20 balls but you can use as much or as little mashed potatoes as you want. It is very easy to tweak the recipe to your taste and needs!
Here are the ingredients you will need for the potato filling:
- leftover mashed potatoes
- shredded cheddar cheese
- beef bacon
- chopped parsley
Now the mashed potatoes I always make already have garlic, parmesan, cream cheese, salt, and black pepper all in them so I don’t feel like I need to add anything else other than cheddar, bacon, and parsley. If you’re mashed potatoes don’t already have garlic in them, you can add some now.
Combine the mashed potatoes with the ingredients above. The consistency should be thick enough to easily be rolled into a bowl and keep its shape. Roll into balls with about 3 tablespoons of filling. Transfer to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes or longer. Then we’ll move onto the breading.
There are three parts to the breading. The first is the dry flour coating, the second is eggs, and the third is panko breadcrumbs.
To the dry flour coating, season it with chili powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Use the same seasonings with the panko breadcrumbs in a second bowl. Then in a third bowl, just whisk together eggs. Dip each piece first into the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Then dip into the egg mixture and let any excess drip off. Last, dip into the panko breadcrumb mixture. Repeat until all are breaded.
Shallow fry the balls in vegetable oil until golden brown and crispy all around. If the oil is too hot or too high up, the balls will pop open. Also avoid overcrowding them and fry in batches as necessary! Drain excess oil on a wire rack and then serve warm.
Other Recipes with Potatoes to Try
- The Creamiest Mashed Potatoes
- Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
- Garlic Parmesan Fries
- Spicy Tuna Hashbrown Bites
- Crispy Potato Tacos
If you tried this recipe and loved it, drop by down below and let me know how you liked it with a rating and comment! Feel free to also leave a question there about this recipe and I’ll get right back to it.
To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest pinning away so stop by and see what’s up.
Crispy Cheesy Mashed Potato Balls
Ingredients
FILLING
- 3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup cooked beef bacon, chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
FLOUR COATING
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
WET COATING
- 2 large eggs
PANKO COATING
- 1 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, chili powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- In a second small bowl, whisk together eggs.
- In a third small bowl, whisk together panko breadcrumbs, chili powder, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Combine leftover mashed potatoes, cheddar, bacon, and parsley in a mixing bowl. It should be firm and able to hold its shape.
- Roll about 3 tablespoons of the potato mixture into balls and set on a tray.
- Once all formed into balls, transfer to freezer for half an hour to one hour.
- Then dip each piece first into the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Then dip into the egg mixture and let any excess drip off. Last, dip into the panko breadcrumb mixture. Repeat until all are breaded.
- Add a little vegetable oil (shallow fry) into a frying pan and heat to 350°F.
- Drop the balls in and fry until they are golden brown all around. Fry in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Take out of the oil and transfer to a wire rack to drain any excess oil.
- Enjoy warm!
Notes
- Make sure the oil is not too hot or it will cause the balls to leak out or pop open.
- The key is to shallow fry! Do not add too much oil or else it will also cause them to pop open while frying. I added too much oil in my video, add less than me! Just enough oil to go about 1/3 of the way covering the balls.
- Make sure to use mashed potatoes that are more firm and can hold their shape well! Otherwise, they will fall apart.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out. I love hearing from you!
Rate & Review