(PAPAS RELLENAS DE PICADILLO) MEAT-STUFFED POTATO CROQUETTES

(Papas Rellenas De Picadillo) Meat-Stuffed Potato Croquettes image

There is a wonderful Cuban bakery in Glendale, California called Porto's where I first tasted these. They are so delicious, and I was lucky enough to find a recipe for them in a Saveur magazine article about Cuba. You can't eat just one! NOTE: You only need 1 cup of the picadillo for the croquettes, so you will have a lot left over. The 6 servings apply only to the potato croquettes. You can serve the leftover picadillo over rice or make more of the potato mixture to make more croquettes.

Provided by Velouria

Categories Potato

Time 3h30m

Yield 6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

3 lbs ground beef
10 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
25 pitted green olives, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoons capers, drained
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt
3 eggs, separated
1 pinch nutmeg
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
vegetable oil
1 cup breadcrumbs

Steps:

PICADILLO FILLING: Mix together beef, garlic, peppers, scallions, olives, raisins, capers, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, tomato sauce, and sherry in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with the back of a spoon, for 30-40 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Remove bay leaves.
CROQUETTES: Put potatoes in a medium pot, cover with cold salted water, and simmer over medium heat until soft, 25-30 minutes. Drain, then mash with a potato masher until smooth. Set aside to cool. Beat yolks into potatoes one at a time, add nutmeg and parsley, and season to taste with salt. Whisk whites in a bowl just until soft peaks form, then set aside.
Take 1 cup of the picadillo mixture. Oil palms of your hands, then shape 1/4 cup of potato mixture into a ball. Make an indentation in the center of the ball, then flatten it into a 4'' concave disk about 1/2'' thick. Fill center with 1 tablespoon picadillo. Cup potato mixture up and around filling. Pinch together to seal, reshaping to form a smooth ball. Dip ball into beaten egg whites, then into bread crumbs. Repeat process with remaining potato mixture and picadillo.
Pour oil into a deep skillet to a depth of 2'' and heat until about 350° on a candy thermometer. Fry fritters in batches until golden brown on all sides, 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
NOTE: Don't be frightened by the calorie count, since the amount is being calculated based on the whole picadillo recipe, not just the 1 cup needed for filling the croquettes.