Fried Mashed Potato Balls

What better way to use up your leftover mashed potatoes than by turning them into crispy bites full of all the cheesy, bacon-y goodness you love about loaded mashed potatoes, but in bite-sized form? Ready in 25 minutes, this bite-sized app is the recipe to turn to when you want something a bit different than your average mashed potatoes, or simply need a fun take on classic comfort food. It’s one of my favorite ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, or to switch up the staple holiday side. Keep reading on for all of my top tips on how to make them the best they can be:

What People Are Saying:
“Absolutely delicious!! I can use these to feed a crowd and so so simple!!” - lsimmie

“Great comfort food. I did the full blown deep fry but am excited to try air fry coming up 😋” - GreenBlowdryer

How To Make Fried Mashed Potato Balls

INGREDIENTS

• Leftover Mashed Potatoes: Plain mashed potatoes (I highly recommend our classic recipe) work perfectly here, but any variety will work great as long as the texture doesn’t differ greatly from the classic! Roasted garlic, garlic and feta, or toasted sesame oil mashed potatoes would all work great here.
• Bacon: Who doesn’t love loaded potatoes? Cooked and crumbled bacon takes these bites to a whole new level, but you can leave them out if you want to make them vegetarian.
• Shredded Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese is my go-to choice here, but you can switch it up for whatever shredded cheese you prefer with your potatoes. I just recommend using freshly shredded for the best taste.
• Chives: Thinly sliced chives added to the mashed potato mixture complete the loaded potato vibe, and add a bit of green to these beige bites.
• Garlic Powder: A little bit of garlic powder will revive our plain mashed potatoes, but if you’re using a heavily-seasoned batch of leftover mashed potatoes, then use a light hand when seasoning.
• Eggs: 2 eggs work as a binder for these bites, holding them together so they don’t fall apart when frying.
• Panko Bread Crumbs: Panko will create the crispy coating that we’re looking for with these bites.
  

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First things first: There are two possible cooking methods for these mashed potato bites. You can make them on the stovetop or the air fryer. Both will deliver delicious results, but if you’d rather skip the whole mess of frying in oil, then I’d recommend the air fryer, although you’ll have to cook in batches. Since the stovetop method requires a bit more effort, I’ll be explaining that below.

Add your leftover mashed potatoes to a large bowl, then throw in the cooked bacon, cheddar, chives, and garlic powder before seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Stir everything together until all of the ingredients are incorporated and combined.

Grab two separate shallow bowls, placing the eggs into one (then beating them) and the panko into the other. Grab a small cookie scoop, then scoop balls around 1” to 2” from the mashed potato mixture.

Use your hands to roll them into more even balls, then dredge first in the egg mixture before the panko. Repeat the process until all the mashed potatoes are used and formed into balls, then set them aside.

Heat around 3” of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet until it reads 375°—use a candy thermometer for this. Fry the potato balls in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the skillet. Fry until they are golden on all sides—this should take around 2 to 3 minutes. Once done, drain them on a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with just a bit more salt.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Stovetop vs. air fryer. Both the stovetop and air fryer will give that crunchy, golden coating we're looking for, but with some slight differences in cooking methods. Frying on the stovetop will have your bites ready to go in 2-3 minutes, while cooking in the air fryer takes around 10 minutes. But, if you're looking to limit your oil intake—or simply don't feel like dealing with the process that is deep frying—then the air fryer will give you that same crispiness without any of the added oil.
• Variations. Filled with creamy potatoes, crispy bacon, cheese, chives, and plenty of seasoning, we think these bombs of savory flavor are perfect all on their own. But, feel free to add to and experiment with them! If you like less salt, feel free to add to taste. Leave out the bacon to make these bites vegetarian, or switch up the cheese. Throw some fresh herbs or more chives on top for an added green touch.
  

How To Serve Fried Mashed Potato Balls

We love to serve these mashed potato bites as a party appetizer, paired with sour cream, homemade ranch dressing or even our sriracha butter if you want a kick of rich heat. That being said, you could also serve these bites as a creative take on the classic holiday side alongside your turkey tenderloin or roast chicken.

Make Ahead

These bites are best the day of, so I recommend making these when you need to enjoy the very last of your leftovers. To get ahead of prep, you can make the mashed potato mixture up to 3 days ahead, but leave the dredging and frying until the big day.