Fried Mashed Potato Balls

I had some left over mashed potatoes and stumbled on this recipe. What really got me was the fact that these are stuffed with cheese! You could definitely put your own flavor spin on these if you were serving a different type of cuisine. These were best eaten right when fried so you can form and bread them a little in advance and then fry them when people show up.

Ingredients:

2 cups Mashed Potatoes
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1 sprig fresh basil, chopped

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 head of garlic, roasted and peeled (rub garlic head with olive oil and salt, cover with foil, bake at 350 until garlic is tender and slightly browned, about 30 minutes)
salt and pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tbs. fresh chives

Directions:

1.Make the dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients except the chives and mashing it together so the garlic cloves break up in the sour cream. Put in container you plan to serve dip in and top with chives. Place in fridge while you finish making dish.

2. Set up a breading station: one plate with all-purpose flour, a second plate with the eggs - whisked up, and a third plate with bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Put a pinch of salt on all three plates and stir with a fork to disperse.

3. Pull out your leftover mashed potatoes. Using an ice cream scoop or spoon make a small ball of mashed potatoes. You can make it as small or large as you like, I do a little smaller than a golf ball. Flatten the potatoes out in your hand. Add a tsp. of shredded mozzarella into the middle and close up the mashed potatoes around it. Repeat this step until you are out of mashed potatoes.

4. Heat up a saucepan of canola oil over medium heat until it reaches 350.

5. Take a mashed potato ball and place in the plate of flour. Move to coat and make sure to tap off any excess. Dip the ball into the plate of eggs. Move to coat and  make sure to remove any extra egg that drips off. Dip the ball in the plate of bread crumbs. Move to coat and make sure to tap off any excess.

6. Repeat the above step for all of the mashed potato balls. As you work on breading the balls you can start frying them.

7. Once the oil is hot, drop in 3-5 balls at a time into the pan. Make sure not to over crowd it. Fry for about 3 minutes until the balls are a nice golden brown. Remove to a plate with paper towels to drain excess fat. Season with salt while still hot.

8. Once all of the balls are fried and seasoned, place on a platter and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and basil. Serve warm with your garlic cream dipping sauce.