Papas Rellenas (Potato Balls Stuffed With Ground Beef)

This is a Cuban recipe
Very popular snack food as well as in the dinner table
This recipe makes 8 medium an 1 small potato ball, you will have leftover filling if you want to make more (and I suggest you do) just double or triple the quantities


INGREDIENTS FOR PAPAS RELLENAS AND COATING:


-6 large cheap BROWN RUSSET potatoes steamed, peeled, mashed to a paste, salted. (steam by bringing some water to boil in pot covering potatoe half way cover and simmer on low until cooked prepare while hot)
-Bread Crumbs or Cracker Meal Crumbs (I simply blend crackers to make cracker meal)
-2 Beaten eggs with salt
-Oil to pan or deep fry.

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING- Picadillo (Ground Beef Hash)

-1 lb Ground Beef
-¼ Bell Pepper minced
-½ Spanish Onion
-4 Cloves Garlic crushed minced
-1/3 Canned Tomatoe Sauce
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Ground Cumin about a tiny Palm full
-Salt to taste
-Spanish Olives or black Olives sliced

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:
Heat Extra- Virgin Olive Oil. Add onion & Bell Pepper sautee till fragrant. Add garlic sautee till fragrant.
Add ground beef sautee til browned, salt, add ground cumin and oregano. Near the end of cooking stir in tomatoe sauce.

DIRECTIONS FOR "PAPAS RELLENAS
1) Grab some of the hot potato mashe. Flatten some in hand like thick tortilla. Put a tablespoon of Picadillo or more. Close and make into a ball. Repeat until you run out of potatoe mash

2)Heat oil on medium high to deep fry or pan fry
3)Roll potatoe ball in egg then roll in bread crumbs
4)Deep fry or pan fry to a golden brown
5) Put on Paper Towels
7)Eat Hot

I ate it with some "Arroz Con Gandules" (YEAH I KNOW ARROZ CON GANDULES IS PUERTO RICAN BUT IT TASTED GOOD WITH PAPAS RELLENAS)