Recipe(tried): Stuffed Mashed Potato Balls (Croquetas de papa rellenas de carne molida)

Stuffed Mashed Potato Balls

Ingredients for cooking ground beef:
1 tbsp of dry oregano (crushed between your hands)
2 tbsp of salt (or to taste)
1 green pepper
1 onion
2 lbs of ground beef
2 bay leaves (crushed)
1 can of chopped pimentos (second larger size)
2 cups of water
2 packages of "Sazon" seasoning
1 garlic head (or to taste)
3 tbsp of oil

Using pestle, grind oregano and salt in Mortar. Place them in small size container.

Chop green pepper and onion into small squares.

Peel garlic. Using pestle, grind garlic in Mortar. Place garlic in container that has the oregano and salt.

Place inside a large pot the following ingredients: green peeper, onion, and garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes at medium heat.

Add to the pot the following ingredients: pimentos, sazon, ground beef, water, oregano, salt, oil, and bay leaves.

Using a metal spoon, stir ingredients to mix them all together. Stir mix occasionally and continue cooking at medium heat until meat is cooked. Remove pan from stove and let it cool down to room temperature.

Ingredients for making Mashed Potatoes:
2 lbs potatoes
1 egg
4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp cornstarch
Salt
Water

Rinse potatoes with water and cut them in halves. Put potatoes inside a 4-5 quart Dutch oven (cooking pot). Add water, and make sure you cover all the potatoes with water. Add 1 tsp of salt. Turn heat to medium high for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Turn off stove, drain water from potatoes, and place potatoes in large bowl. Remove potatoes skin and mash potatoes using a fork or mashing potatoes utensil.

Add cornstarch, butter, egg, and 1/2 tbsp of salt. Continue mashing the potatoes until all ingredients are mixed well.

Place mashed potatoes mix on refrigerator and let it cool down for 30-40 minutes or until the mix has reached room temperature.

Ingredients for making Stuffed Mash Potato Balls:
Mash Potato Mixture
Cornstarch
Cooked ground beef mixture
Cooking oil

Split the mash potatoes mixture into 10-12 round balls of approximately 2 to 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Cover the palm of the hands with cornstarch.

Grab one of the balls and make a hole into it with your fingers (without going all the way across the ball). The hole should be large enough to let you place inside it 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of cooked ground beef. Repeat the last two steps above for the rest of the balls.

Place 3-4 balls to fry in a Deep Fryer. Make sure you put enough cooking oil in fryer to cover all the balls. Leave the Stuffed Mash Potatoes Balls frying until they turn golden brown. Remove the Stuffed Mash Potatoes Balls from fryer and drain on paper towel.

These can be served as appetizers or if making them big (like big meatballs) are good as a dinner entree with red beans over white rice and a green salad.