Cheesy Potato Balls with Bacon Bits
These Cheesy Potato Balls with Bacon Bits have crispy outsides and hot insides complimented by a cheesy filling. To top it all off, you could eat six of and still want to eat more while having the stomach to do so.
Why do I love finger food so much? Well, I love food that is tasty, casual to eat and easy to make. Now, I know not all finger food is easy to make, but if it is not easy to make than it better be fun to make, no? Luckily, not only are these Cheesy Potato Balls with Bacon Bits simple to make, but they are also ridiculously delicious!
What makes me love these Cheesy Potato Balls with Bacon Bits so much is their crispy outsides and hot insides complimented by the cheesy filling. To top it all off, I could eat six of them (and I have!) and still want to eat more while having the stomach to do so. I brought these to a birthday dinner celebration, and everyone loved them. More than one of our friends asked us why these were not a more regular thing we make, and why they weren't on the menus at restaurants!
If you are really looking to jazz these up for a presentation, before serving them top each ball with a small dollop of sour cream. It not only looks nice, but will add great flavor to make these like mini baked potato bites!
Why fry when you could bake? Well, I asked myself this question before frying and decided to bake a few in order to compare both ways. I found that frying the potato balls was best because it provided a nice crunch as compared to the baked ones. While the baked ones were also hot their outsides were not as firm as the fried ones. I falso ound that when frying, the cheese filling melted much more than when baked. I for one am a huge fan of gooey, cheesy filling and so frying these way the right way to go!
Another reason to fry? It took four and half minutes to fry these bad boys whereas baking took twelve minutes. Now, I am not one too concerned with time (though I think all of us have the desire to save time), but why spend so much time for a dish that is supposed to be a “pre-meal” before the actual meal? The appearance of the fried ones also looks better, with the golden brown coloring that makes these impossible to resist!
So, which do you prefer:
Baking or Frying?
Cheesy Potato Balls with Bacon Bits
Ingredients:
3 medium sized potatoes
4 slices of bacon
a dash of milk
1/8 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
breading, enough to cover the potato balls
~1/8 cup cheddar cheese
oil, for frying
Posted on 11/12/14 by Efrain
Try some of our other fried goods~
Directions:
1. Set three medium sized potatoes to boil for about 30 minutes. It’s recommended to cut the potatoes into half, or thirds, to help speed up the boiling process and to make mashing easier later.
2. Following the directions on the package, bake bacon until crispy.
3. After the potatoes are boiled set the potatoes aside until cooled; when cooled mash the potatoes.
4. After the bacon has been baked set aside until cooled; when cooled rip the bacon into bits and then mix in the with mashed potatoes.
5. Place the mixed mashed potatoes in a bowl and place in the freezer for at least two hours.
6. When the mixed mashed potatoes are frozen take out of freezer; place ~1/8 cup of flour in bowl; place 1 egg in bowl, stirred; place enough bread crumbs in bowl for covering.
7. Form the mixed mashed potatoes into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Ensure to place a pinch of cheddar cheese in the middle of the potato balls.
8. After putting enough oil for frying in a pan, bring to frying temperature. Fry for 4 ½ minutes
9. Set the Cheesy Potato Balls with Bacon Bits aside and serve!
Fried vs Baked
This is a cheesy potato ball split in half: on the left is the top half and on the right is the base in which the cheese is put.