Description
Learn how to make Puerto Rican-style picadillo stuffed potato croquettes, aka Papas Rellenas. This popular Spanish appetizer consists of mashed potato balls stuffed with seasoned ground beef, deep fried to crispy, creamy perfection. They’re an impressively tasty dish to serve as an appetizer, side dish, or snack.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Picadillo Filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 cup sofrito
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup pimento olives, sliced in half
For the Potatoes
- 3 lbs potatoes
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning
- 1 tsp adobo seasoning
- 1/4 batch of Puerto Rican picadillo (I like making a full batch and using the extras for other meals)
- 4 cups canola or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Make the picadillo. Add the ground beef, onion and bell pepper to a pan. Brown the meat while breaking up before adding the sofrito, sazon, adobo and bay leaves. Once fragrant, add tomato sauce and olives. Cover and cook another 10 minutes until the beef is fully cooked. Set aside to cool.
- Peel, chop & boil the potatoes. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Prep the potatoes by peeling and chopping into halves or quarters (depending on their size). Add to the boiling water and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
- Mash & season the potatoes. Mash the potatoes until all of the solid chunks have broken down and a consistent mash is formed. Mix in the corn starch, sazon, and adobo seasoning until the potatoes resemble a dough.
- Form & stuff the potatoes. Using a ½ cup measuring cup or small scoop, grab large balls of the potatoes. Flatten the ball gently, fill with a tablespoon or two of the picadillo. Carefully form the potatoes around the filling, adding an additional scoop of the potato mixture if needed.
- Fry. Fry the croquettes in 350°F oil until golden brown and crispy all around. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain any oil. Enjoy!
Notes
- If the potato dough isn’t sticking, add another teaspoon or two of cornstarch to help bind.
- There will be leftover Picadillo filling. Enjoy over rice or with bread!