Puerto Rican Papas Rellenas (Stuffed Potatoes)
Puerto Rican Papas Rellenas - mashed potato croquettes stuffed with flavorful picadillo (ground beef hash). They are fried to golden perfection on the outside while still creamy on the inside. Meat and potatoes join together to form the perfect appetizer!
Puerto Rican Papas Rellenas
Hey guys! I'm here with my monthly Puerto Rican recipe for you. And let me tell you...these fried potato croquettes are amazeballs. Like, literally.
Balls of mashed potatoes are filled with picadillo (a ground beef hash which is so flavorful it gives taco meat a run for its money), then fried until golden brown and crispy. They are probably my favorite Puerto Rican appetizer!
Puerto Rican papas rellenas, or rellenos de papa as they are called, have a bit of a story in my family history. I've told you before how I used to think I was Puerto Rican as a child, although I'm actually half Mexican [full story here]. There are many contributing factors to this misconception, among which are these potato croquettes.
Every year my family would attend the Mexican Festival in Milwaukee, WI. My mother would make a beeline past the mariachi bands, the jalapeño eating competition (and the grito contest!), the vendors selling street tacos and cerveza, and head straight for the Puerto Rican booth where they made these papa rellenas.
What the heck was a Puerto Rican stand was doing at a Mexican fiesta I'll never know - but you can see my confusion, right?!
Well, one bite is all you need and those questions evaporate. Potatoes are my favorite food. I love them in any form, but fried potatoes are the best of the best by far. Paired with incredibly flavorful meat, it's a combination that can't be beat.
You can find my recipe for the picadillo filling here. *Do not add the diced potatoes called for in the recipe.*
This recipe only uses half the amount of picadillo, so you can either use the leftovers in tacos or just make half a batch of meat. Or you can double the amount of mashed potatoes and have twice as many papas rellenas!
The trick to these croquettes is to mash the heck out of your potatoes so they turn gummy and pliable. Extra cornstarch helps combat any stickiness as well.
Adding an egg helps with binding, but if you're able to knead the potatoes into a workable dough, the egg is not necessary. Eat them as is, or serve with my mayo-ketchup or garlic dipping oil.
As always, feel free to shoot me an email at kitchengidget@gmail.com if you have any questions or hit me up on Facebook!
Puerto Rican Papas Rellenas (Stuffed Potatoes)
Mashed potatoes balls stuffed with picadillo (ground beef hash) and fried to golden perfection!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus extra for dusting
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ recipe Puerto Rican Picadillo
- Salt
- Oil for frying
- Mayoketchup or mojo de ajo
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and cut into uniformly sized chunks. Place in a pot and cover with water. Salt the water about (2 tablespoons). Boil until cooked through and easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.
- Drain potatoes well and return to pot. Let any excess water evaporate. Mash with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, egg and butter.
- Flour your hands with cornstarch and flatten about ½ cup of mashed potatoes into a disk in the palm of your hand. Add a heaping tablespoon of picadillo to the center of the disk and bring the edges of the potato up and around the picadillo. Seal the edges and roll into a smooth ball. Repeat until all the potato has been used up, making sure to coat hands in cornstarch each time.
- Deep fry the balls in hot oil (about 350°F) about 5 minutes, turning as needed until they are golden brown all over. Serve plain or with mayoketchup or mojo de ajo for dipping, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 106Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 77mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.
For my filling I put corn beef and a little chunk of mozzarella cheese. yum 😋
Never tried it with corned beef, but that sounds delicious!
If I don’t have cornstarch ?
I've never tried with anything else so I'm not sure how it will turn out if you use flour. Hopefully someone else will comment on this!
Omit the cornstarch if you don't have any, just mash until you can for balls that won't fall apart before you place the picadillo.
Can I bake them instead of frying?
They will not be the same at all.
I know a place that fry them just to get the golden color and finish thr cooking in the oven
Seafood lovers like myself can Substitute the meat with shrimp & take your tastebuds on a ride!
Yummy yummy! I love that idea.
Everything went ok until I tried to fry them, and they fell apart in the oil. Did I not get them gummy enough to stick together? Not sure where I went wrong?
Thanks
Oh no I'm so sorry! I think when that happens the potato was too dry. Did you add the egg? Mine always turn out better with the egg.
Fry them frozen!
Would you recommend pan frying these versus using a deep fryer with basket?
I like deep frying, but either way works!
Can these be made up thru the ball stage and then frozen?
Hi Becky! I've never done it myself, but others have told me they freeze them before frying. When ready to cook, they fry them straight out of the freezer and add a couple minutes to the time.
I made the picadillo and sofrito. I don't have potatoes, but have a box of instant. Have you tried that? I assume add less water or more cornstarch?
I've never tried with instant, so I can't say for sure. It should work if you're able to get the consistency to hold to where it's thick and shape-able. If you try, please let us know the results!
Looks Amazing, but how do I prepare the potatoes,and the meat to be able to enjoy, right now I'm ready!
Chantal
I love the idea of this dish but I cannot have the filling as I don't have beef. Any suggestions you have in mind as to what I can use instead for the most approximate flavours?
Great work. 🙂
I've never tried anything else, but cheese is another common filling. I bet some semi-mashed beans like kidney or lentils would be tasty!
I've made the filling with turkey or chicken as well.
Ground turkey. I use ground turkey and it taste the same.
To replace meat use organic meatless meat from Whole Foods or use chicken . In lil frozen dept with Spanish spices you will never tell the differece
I have absolutely no words for how delicious these look! The photos are amazing. 🙂
Thank you, Ashlyn!
This so cute. Kawaii<3 and look delicious too. Sounds similar to Japanese potato croquettes but this bite size one is much cuter!
Arigato gozaimasu, Shihoko-san!
I really love potato croquettes and these look so delicious , thanks for another another way to enjoy them 🙂
I saw these on pinterest and they look soooo good! Potatoes are definitely up there in my list of favorite foods - no matter how you do them they always taste amazing. I can't wait to try these for myself!
Yum!! What a tasty idea! I definitely need to make...and eat...this treat ASAP! Thanks for sharing!