STUFFED YUCA FRITTERS

Stuffed Yuca Fritters image

Imagine seasoned beef and onions enclosed in mashed potato-like yucca, then coated in cracker crumbs and fried to crispy perfection. Sound good? Oh, it is!

Provided by My Food and Family

Time 1h

Yield Makes 20 fritters or 10 servings, 2 fritters each.

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

3 lb. yuca (cassava), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 oz. (1/4 of an 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3 eggs, divided
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. water
1 sleeve saltine crackers (39 crackers), finely crushed
3 cups PLANTERS Peanut Oil

Steps:

Place yuca in large saucepan; add enough water to completely cover yuca. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15 min. or until tender but not soft. Drain. Cool. Meanwhile, combine tomato paste, cumin and dressing in large skillet. Stir in onions. Cook on medium-high heat 3 min. or until onions are tender. Add meat and pepper; mix well. Cook 15 min. or until meat is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.
Place yuca and cream cheese in large bowl; mash well. Add 2 of the eggs, one at a time, stirring until well blended after each addition. Gradually add flour, stirring until mixture forms a stiff dough. (If dough is too soft, mix in an additional 1 Tbsp. flour.) Shape 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Press a deep hole into center of ball with your finger; fill hole with 2 tsp. of the meat mixture. Reshape ball to completely enclose filling. Repeat with remaining dough and meat mixture to form a total of 20 balls; set aside. Beat remaining egg with the 1 tsp. water in shallow bowl or pie plate. Place cracker crumbs in separate shallow bowl or pie plate. Dip yuca balls in the egg mixture, then in the cracker crumbs, turning to evenly coat each ball.
Heat oil in large saucepan on medium-high to 375°F. Carefully add yuca balls, a few at a time; cook 2 min. or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 420, Fat 17 g, SaturatedFat 5 g, TransFat 0 g, Cholesterol 95 mg, Sodium 400 mg, Carbohydrate 52 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 2 g, Protein 13 g