What can you do if you have a kilo of potatoes left, but no dish to use them in? Well, aren’t you going to make a nice puree out of it, roll it into balls and then fry it? That sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it?
Recently we were in a super creative mood and decided to make small potato croquettes from potatoes we had left in the kitchen. I hate when potatoes turn green quickly and of course I hate throwing food away even more!
Of course we always have cream and butter in the house, so we were able to make a puree very quickly and then turn it into balls. But then we thought, what if we try to bake the balls in the oven, fry them in a pan with oil and grill them in the air fryer?
This was quite a fun experiment, the only downside is that the balls burst in the oven, they became very dark brown and hard in the air fryer. In the oil they became delicious and cooked equally everywhere, as is usually with deep frying.
Eventually we found out that everyone liked them all. My father preferred the balls from the air fryer, and Luis and I the ones that were fried. So only the balls from the oven were a disaster and I will never make this way again.
I don’t intend to leave it at that, because I really need to know how to prepare tasty snacks in the oven. When I find out the secret I will share it with you, because snacks from the oven are of course a lot healthier because there is less oil and fat involved. At least that’s what they say, right?
Well, roll up your sleeves and let’s get started!
Ingredients
With these quantities we were able to make about 30 medium sized balls
- 1 kilo of potato
- 75 grams of butter
- 3 tablespoons of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of pepper
- 1 tablespoon of fine salt
- 1 tablespoon of nutmeg
- 40 ml of cooking cream
- 25 cubes of cheese of about 1 cm
- breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
Preparation
Place a large pan with plenty of water on the fire. Wash and peel the potatoes and add them to the water. Boil these for more than 20 minutes until they are completely cooked on the inside. Drain the potatoes, let them cool and prepare all your ingredients in the meantime.
Mash the potatoes in a large bowl with a potato masher, then add the butter and cream. It should be a fine puree that is nice and creamy and not too thin, because then you can no longer form balls. Finally, stir garlic powder, salt, nutmeg and pepper into the puree.
Put a pan on the stove with enough sunflower oil to completely submerge the balls. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper so that you can place the balls on it after rolling, and a large plate with a piece of kitchen paper for after frying. Taste your puree while you still can and add some spices if you miss them.
Grab a pile of puree, crush it in your hand, then put a piece of cheese in the middle and close it like a ball. Roll the ball between the palms and place it on your baking tray ready for the next step. Repeat until all your puree is gone and rinse your hands well.
Set out 2 deep plates, one with the eggs and the second with the flour. First pass the balls through the egg with one hand, then carefully roll them through the breadcrumbs with the other hand, and then immediately lower the ball into the hot oil (with a spoon or slotted spoon).
Touch the balls as little as possible while they are frying, unless they start to get too dark on one side. Then of course you can turn them around. The balls need about 4 minutes to get nice and brown. When the cheese starts to come out they are already too far gone! Repeat the entire process until you have made all the balls or keep them in the refrigerator for later, but no longer than 2 days.
Voilà, a delicious potato snack, perfect to combine with Friday afternoon drinks!
The result
It was a lot of fun trying out the three ways. If you want to make these balls in the airfryer, you have to put a little oil on the balls and bake them at 200 degrees for 10 minutes! Or a bit shorter or longer, depending on when you think they are ready. Tastes differ, of course.
And like I said before, I will really find out the secret to making oven-baked snacks too, if it’s the last thing I ever have to do! OK, that might be a bit exaggerated, but you guys know who I am, haha!
Well enjoy your weekend, friends, and look forward to Sunday, because then I have a special baking day on the blog planned for you! Cheers!
