Papas Rellenas

My name is Danette and I am Cuban by marriage. Corny, but I like it all the same. I can cook pretty decently in the world of Cuban food. But since going vegetarian and now on the road to being vegan it is going to become increasingly difficult to go anywhere and eat. I mean come on, when we went to Miami for a few days. we took a box of food and a cooler of food as well.

I have told Savanah, that when you make choices there are always consequences. But people always associate bad things when they hear the word consequences. For us it is not a bad thing, it is just a thing. We have made a decision to better our diet and life and we know what we have to do...end of discussion.

Now, on to this recipe. I have always loved Papa Rellenas. They are a basic staple and utilize left overs. Cubans made these when there was too much Picadillo left over and Viola, you have Papa Rellenas. It is not difficult and they differ from region to region, much like our potato salads. And your picadillo will differ as well. But what I learned from making this dish (which by the way is a KEEPER) is two things. 1) Make sure your potatoes are completely drained and free of liquid...ALL liquid. 2) Make them golf ball size like the recipe says.

Making them was simple enough, mine just came out too big, but that did not alter how delicious they were. take a little time, for they are a bit time consuming and make these lovely little things. All we needed was a salad and we were good to go. Yummo!

4 potatoes, peeled and boiled (I boiled them whole)
1/2 t alt (I would bump it to 1 full teaspoon)
2 eggs beaten (We used almond milk in its place) This is what holds the bread crumbs to the potato ball
Dry bread crumbs (At least 1 cup)
1 lb. Cuban Picadillo (Google it, but I will be putting this recipe up soon)
Flour (Enough to coat the potato balls)
Oil of choice for frying (We use peanut oil) And this is only about 1/4 of an inch deep in a frying pan.
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Boil potatoes until they are fully cooked. Drain. Mash potatoes with the salt (do not add any butter, oil, or liquid!) allow mixture to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. Grab a handful of mashed potatoes, split the handful in half, and make each half into a little bowl by pressing in with your fingers. Stuff the indentation in each half with the Picadillo. Bring the two halves together and smooth to make a round ball, about the size of an overstuffed golf ball. Dip the ball into the almond milk, and then roll in the flour until lightly covered. Dip the ball in the almond milk again and roll in the bread crumbs to coat thoroughly.

Important: Refrigerate the balls for two to four hours before proceeding to the next step. Heat oil to the frying stage (about 375º F) and gently drop each papa rellena into the hot oil. Let it cook for about two minutes or until golden brown. Turn the balls and cook the other half in the same way. Be careful not to overcook.