PAN-FRIED STUFFED POTATOES (CUBAN PAPAS RELLENAS)

Pan-Fried Stuffed Potatoes (Cuban Papas Rellenas) image

Papas rellenas (Cuban-fried, stuffed potatoes) are inarguably one of the more classic Cuban side dishes. They're ideal for a Cuban-themed party or other event.

Provided by supermom4

Time 5h5m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup chopped pimento-stuffed olives
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 large eggs
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil, or as needed

Steps:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef with onions and garlic in the hot skillet until beef is browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add tomato sauce and wine and let simmer. Stir in olives. Season with salt and pepper; adjust the seasonings per taste.
Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash potatoes, then set aside to cool.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites into two bowls. Mix the egg yolks into the cooled mashed potato mixture. Whisk the egg whites for 1 minute.
Take 1/4 cup of the mashed potatoes and form into a ball. Make a dent in the ball, to give it more of a bowl shape. Fill the indentation with 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture, and then reseal it.
Reshape the potato as a ball again. Dip the ball in the egg whites, then roll the ball around in bread crumbs until coated. Repeat with remaining potato and meat mixture. For a better coating, or for a crunchier texture, you may dip the ball into the egg whites again and coat it with another layer of bread crumbs. Refrigerate the potato balls for at least 4 hours before frying.
Pour enough oil into a skillet or frying pan to cover half of the potato balls. Heat oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Working in batches, place several balls into the frying pan and cook on each side until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, taking care not to overcook. Drain the stuffed potatoes in a single layer on paper towels.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 355.7 calories, Carbohydrate 33.4 g, Cholesterol 127.8 mg, Fat 16.4 g, Fiber 3.8 g, Protein 17.4 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, Sodium 560.4 mg, Sugar 3.2 g