No food hits home like Hispanic food. The heavy influence of cumin and coriander remind me of Pakistan because this particular spice and herb are added in every traditional Pakistani dish. At times when I walk down the streets of LA past food carts selling tacos and burritos, I imagine I’m in Karachi. The familiar smells wafting in the air punctuated by the occasional traffic and honking of cars (it is downtown after all ) are enough to wake up nostalgia.
Sure, there are differences between the cuisines but at the base of it all is cumin and coriander. I almost wonder why Hispanics don’t make curry.
I went to Porto’s Cafe in Burbank about a year ago with my best friend. It’s a very popular Cuban cafe in LA. I love to Yelp for popular items, and the stuffed potato balls at Porto’s was something that we needed to try. It’s called Papas Rellenas, which are deep-fried balls of mashed potatoes stuffed with a meat filling. Both my friend and I spent a good ten minutes talking about how they tasted so Pakistani and that we had to go home and make these. It was a long while before I actually did make them. But they’re actually very simple to prepare because the flavor combinations don’t need any guessing.
If you are more into visuals, check out how I make this!
Cuban Stuffed Potato Balls
Ingredients
Beef Filling
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 of a jalapeno pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 6 tbsp tomato sauce
Potato Balls
- 5 potatoes salted, boiled and mashed
- 2 eggs beaten with a tbsp of water
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender, Peel the skin and mash them well with a few tbsp of milk at a time until very smooth and fluffy (it shouldn't be too sticky so be careful with the milk). Be sure to add enough salt to the mashed potato.
- In a saucepan, sautee onion and peppers for a few minutes until soft.
- Add the ground beef and stir until beef has brown.
- Add in the spices and stir for a minute.
- Next, pour in the tomato sauce and let simmer for five minutes. The meat filling won't have too much sauce because the liquid will make it difficult to stuff the potato balls.
- To make the potato balls, take about two ounces of mashed potatoes and flatten it in the palm of your hand in a disk
- Now take about a teaspoon of meat filling and place in the center of the flattened potato disk. Make sure you don't add too much filling because we need to wrap the filling inside the potato,
- Slowly take the edges of the potato and pull them over the filling and smooth it into a ball. If your filling is not covered, just take a little bit of mashed potato and glue it onto the filling.
- Now take each ball, dredge it in flour, dip it in egg and finally coat it generously in bread crumbs.
- Once all the balls are coated, chill in the fridge for at least an hour to ensure they don't fall apart while frying. (You can also prep them a day in advance up to this point).
- Once ready, deep fry them until golden brown.
- Drain on paper towel and enjoy! This makes 20 medium-sized potato balls.
Notes
I will be making these early in the day to take to a party in the evening. Can they later be warmed up in the oven and if so what temperature and how many minutes? I am trying not to loose the crispness. Thank you for your tips. 👍🏼
Thank you for this great recipe. Years ago I lived in Tampa, FL and really enjoyed the local Cuban food. These were available all over in bodegas and corner stores as fast finger food as well as in restaurants. Broken open with some Texas Pete’s hot sauce splashed on top – comfort food heaven. I’ve recreated them on my own using Idahoan brand instant potatoes with less liquid for a firm mash, but for some reason they are just so much better straight out of the deep fryer wrapped in parchment paper 🙂 .
If I am taking them to take to a party and by the time I get there they may be a little cold. Will they fall part if I warm them up in the microwave?
They shouldn’t. I would say to cover them with foil so they trap some of the heat but microwaving should be fine.
I will be making these for the Super Bowl in the next couple of weeks. Can I use panko flakes? The bread crumbs you used were they plain bread crumbs or were they the bread crumbs with added spices? I use to go to Porto’s in California until I moved to Texas. If these are the same as Porto’s then you will definitely be my GO TO GIRL! 😘💕 Thank you!!!
Sorry for taking so long to response. Hope you tried them for Super Bowl. I used regular bread crumbs but panko should be fine too.
Just made…delish! I made extra meat and served a scoop of meat on top with some sour cream and a drizzle of taco sauce. ANYONE KNOW HOW MANY CARBS PR CALORIES IN THESE BALLS?
Hi
Would you happen to know if I can use instant potatoes for this?! Tyia
I wouldn’t use instant potatoes for this because the consistency may be too soft.
Idahoan brand instant potatoes work well for this if you either reduce the amount of liquid or add extra flakes. You want a very firm mash that holds together well.
I think I love you 💘 for this recipe!! I absolutely love these !!! I moved far away from any place making them ( Publix) lol
THANK YOU ☺️☺️☺️
These are not Authentucaly Cuban! They have Added A Mexucan twist to these! We do not put Jalepenis, or Hotc sauce or Coriander in ours!
[…] Cuban Stuffed Potato Balls […]
On the Cuban potato meat balls if you don’t have a deep fryer can you pan fry instead?
I don’t see why not. Just make sure turn it around very gently to crisp on all sides.
As a Cuban that has been eating these since I was 6 y.o and am now 81 y.o. I can tell you to eat them fried. Only way to taste that Cuban flavor. Thank you Cookie for this site. I think I make some tonight.
Thank you for your sweet message Robert! I hope you love them and approve!
Hi
Can you bake the stuffed potatoes instead?
It won’t be as crisp and personally i haven’t baked these. If you do bake (air fry would be a better option if you have one), I would definitely spray oil generously on them so they start crisping up as soon as they hit the oven. I would also bake it (on a roasting tray so the heat can circulate) at a higher temp around 400-425F. let me know if you try this.
What temp do you fry these at? And approx how long does it take? I did not see this in the recipe. I just made mine and am waiting to fry tomorrow. Thank you.
Hi Roxanne, so excited for you to try them! I fry at the regular 350F temperature. Since the individual components of the recipe are cooked, all we have to do is brown the potato balls.
These sound delicious! Any reason why I couldn’t use Instant Mashed Potatoes?
Hey Kimmy! You most certainly can if the mashed potato isn’t mashed too fine, othersie it would be hard for you to shape it up.
What happens if the potatoes are kinda sticky lol ????
oh no! I would recommend adding more flour to it. Flour will absorb the excess moisture.You can also rub some butter on your palm to prevent the potato dough from sticking to your hand. Hope this helps!
[…] Cuban Stuffed Potato Balls from Rookie with a Cookie […]
love them
Can this be done in an air fryer? Or frozen, then baked instead?
I have personally never tried it in an air fryer, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t turn out beautifully! I would definitely spray a good amount of oil so the balls crisp up.
Hi Im in the middle of making the papas rellenas, but I think the potatoes are too gummy, oops I think I overlooked the milk and put a little too much, what should I do? I put the mashed potatoes in the fridge to see if they firm up.
Thanks
Hey! I would recommend boiling another couple potatoes so it can absorb the milk. You can also add a couple teaspoons of flour. Hope this helps. Good luck!
I used a hand masher to mash the potatoes. Should I use a food processor to get a smoother texture?
Hand masher is perfect. That’s what I use too.
[…] Cuban Stuffed Potato Balls from Rookie with a Cookie […]
I cannot wait to try them! Question: Could I possibly do these in an air fryer or bake them?
Hi J! I have only ever fried these but I do want to say that air frying will work well. Just be sure to spray it liberally with some oil. Let me know how it turns out!
How many cups of filling did this yield for you? Thinking of adapting this for a tamale pie recipe.
Oops…i meant make them again! ?Ugh typing too fast*
Can I make mashed potato balls with out bread crumbs
Hi Tina, without breadcrumbs you will lose some of the crunch, plus a lot of oil will seep into the potatoes. You can, however, flatten the potatoes and make cakes out of them
Hi I have left over mash potatoes we had ladt night dinner, of course some butter was added to potatoes not my h milk at all. Can i still use these potatoes and can I use progresso bread crumbs ” panko” cause i have little Italian bread crumbs. Thank you!!! Can not wait to make please reply if possible to day!!!!
Hey Leftover mash will work just fine but you may need to work harder to form them into balls. I would recommend heating the mash potatoes overs double boiler to help them soften a bit. Pablo should be fine 🙂 hope this helps.
Do you let the potato mixture cool off before forming? Or form them while hot?
The mixture will be too hot to handle if not cooled off. I would wait until it is a bit cool to the touch.
Hey I just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I made these for my family for our super bowl party and they were a huge hit! They were so good that they actually thought I had them sent from Porto’s in So Cal!!! I will def be making this again. I think the most important tip is to keep the potatoes simple. I usually love tons of butter and milk in my potatoes but I followed your advice to keep it simple and the balls were perfect! The potatoes were still light and fluffy and full of flavor!! Thanks again. 🙂
Yes! So happy to hear your success with these.
I was raised with these. But I am Hispanic and my husband is all white and doesn’t eat Spanish or Cuban food, But I do try to slip him some of it every now and then. I know how to make them, but I wasn’t sure if you baked the or fry them. Thank you so very much.
You will love these for sure! Be sure to taste the filling for spice level.
Hi Thanks for the recipe. My late mum used to make something similar called Aloo puri . I unfortunately never took the recipe even though I knew of the ingredients and method.I was looking for the approx flour potato ratio and was surprised that what was a regular Indian snack to me did not appear on any sites until I translated the title and saw your recipe.I will try it out with the Indian khima mix.If ever it would break during frying due to too watery potatoes my mum used to then dip the puris in beaten egg and refry as she did not like adding a lot of flour
Thank you for your message and the tip! I hope this comes out good and reminds you of all the good times you enjoyed with your mum:)
I’m so excited to find this recipe! What kind of oil did you fry them in? Thank you!
Regular canola oil:)
Made them tonight. I had bookmarked the recipe a few months ago. It was delicious!
Awesome! Glad to hear that!
Wonderful a new favorite re cipe
Thanks for checking out, Maureen!:)