Leftover mashed potatoes are mixed with shredded cheese, green onion and bacon, then coated in breadcrumbs and fried until crispy. The ultimate way to use up leftover mashed potatoes!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are so many things you can do with leftover mashed potatoes, but these Leftover Mashed Potato Balls are my favorite way to use them.
I mean, mashed potatoes are pretty great to begin with, but add in some cheddar cheese, green onions and bacon, then coat them in breadcrumbs and fry them until crispy…..well, that makes them pretty much perfect!
Mashed potatoes are my kid’s favorite thing about Thanksgiving dinner, so I always make way more than I think we’ll need. You’d be surprised how many mashed potatoes a teenage boy can put away in one sitting!
But somehow I manage to usually have enough leftover to make these amazing mashed potato balls.
Dare I say, I love these bites of fried potato goodness more than the mashed potatoes themselves? And it’s pretty hard to improve on mashed potatoes, so that’s really saying something.
The most important thing about having this recipe turn out successfully is using cold mashed potatoes. It really helps things stay together when you drop your potato balls in the hot oil for frying.
And if they fall apart a little, that’s okay. They’ll still taste delicious.
If you want to spice things up a bit, try adding some finely chopped jalapeno to your potato mixture. Or add a pinch of cayenne pepper to your breadcrumbs.
I used seasoned Italian-style breadcrumbs in this recipe, which adds tons of great flavor. And my family strongly recommends serving these with a side of Ranch dressing, for dipping.
If you’re looking for something new to do with leftovers this holiday season, you’ve got to try these Leftover Mashed Potato Balls! You’re going to love them!
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Ingredients
- Mashed potatoes
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Green onions
- Bacon
- Spices: garlic salt, pepper
- Eggs
- Bread crumbs
- Vegetable oil
Leftover Mashed Potato Balls
Ingredients
- 3 cups cold leftover mashed potatoes
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 2-3 green onions sliced
- 4 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cold mashed potatoes, cheese, green onions, bacon, garlic salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Shape into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and water. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.
- Heat 2 inches of oil to about 275 degrees, in a large Dutch oven or deep saute pan.
- Fry potato balls, 5-6 at a time, until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.
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