Potato Puffs with Neat Filling

Are you a meat-and-potato person? Well, this recipe may transform you into a Neat-and-potato person!

Neat is a tasty meat replacement product that currently comes in three flavors: Mexican, Italian, and Original. The company is set to release a breakfast sausage flavor in the near future.

I love this Potato Puff recipe because it’s easily tailored to your family’s tastes. You can choose what Neat favor you use in the filling, as well as other ingredients that you tuck inside the mashed-potato balls.

For this recipe, I used Mexican Neat, onions, grape tomatoes, and homemade baked almond feta as my filling. You could add/swap in peas, green olives, corn, green chilies, or anything else you desire.

Another great thing about this recipe is that you can assemble the potato puffs ahead of time, keep them refrigerated, and then fry them later when you’re ready to eat.

NEAT POTATO PUFFS 

(Makes 6 large potato balls)

Ingredients:

3 large red potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 T oil

1 package of Mexican Neat

6 grape tomatoes

A finished batch of Baked Almond Feta (recipe here: http://www.maplespice.com/2011/04/baked-almond-feta-with-dill-oil.html)

1 c. flour

1 to 2 c. Panko bread crumbs

1 c. non-dairy milk

Oil for frying

Salt

Directions:

Steam or boil your potatoes until fork tender. While the potatoes cook, sauté the chopped onion in the oil over low to medium heat until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Prepare your Neat according to the package directions and add it to the pan with the onion. Cook until the Neat easily breaks up into crumbles, about 7. Turn off the heat, and set the pan aside.

 

Grab a portion of your almond feta and break it into 6 pieces that measure about 1 tablespoon in size each. Slice the grape tomatoes in half.

Once the potatoes are fork tender, move the potatoes to a bowl and mash with a potato masher until lump free. Add a pinch of salt while mashing. Allow the potatoes to cool about 20 minutes.

Once the potatoes are cool enough for you to handle, grab about ½ cup of mashed potatoes and make a flat disk in the palm of your left hand (if you’re a righty). With your right hand, push down into the center of the disk as your left-hand fingers slowly rotate the disk in a clockwise motion (You want to create a little bowl).

Create a "bowl" in your palm with the mashed potatoes.

Push down on the filling as you build up the sides of the potato "bowl" by raising the edges gently with your fingers as you rotate the mashed potatoes in your palm.

When you get as high as you can with your potato "bowl" without having the filling poke out anywhere, grab some extra potato from the mashed-potato bowl and add it to the top.

Smooth out the ball with both hands.

Add 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of the Neat-onion mixture in the center of the potato bowl that’s cradled in your left hand. Top with a piece of almond feta and half a grape tomato (you can add more Neat, almond feta and/or the other half of the grape tomato if you think you have enough room).

As you rotate the potato bowl in your left hand, push down on the filling so the edges of the potato bowl rise. Continue this motion until the bowl is almost sealed at the top. Take about 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra mashed potato and add to the top of the potato bowl that’s in your hand. Use both hands to form the potato ball into a smooth ball. Set aside and finish the remaining puffs.

Pour the non-dairy milk into one bowl, the flour into another bowl, and the Panko bread crumbs into a third bowl. One at a time, dip a potato puff into the milk, then the flour, and then back into the milk, and finally into the Panko bread crumbs. Apply slight pressure to get the Panko to adhere all over the potato puff. Set aside, and when all the puffs are coated, place in the fridge.

Take a shallow sauce pan and fill with enough oil to come about halfway up the potato puff (You can deep-fry the puffs in more oil if you prefer, but I didn’t want to use up so much oil). Pull out one puff at a time from the fridge and pan fry it until the bottom half is golden brown (about 5-7 minutes). Keep an eye on the puffs, because as the oil gets hotter, the puffs will brown quicker. Carefully flip over the puff with a slotted spoon and fry the other half of the puff until golden brown (I found it easier to “flip” the puffs by carefully tilting the pan slightly so the puff is almost submerged in the oil – this makes it easier to nudge the puff over with the slotted spoon).

Drain the puff on a paper towel when done cooking, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Serve with your favorite condiment. I served my puffs with salsa, Nacho Mom’s Vegan Queso, and a little cilantro.

The puffs will be crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The Mexican Neat provides a wonderful meaty texture with a little heat. The baked almond feta adds a sharp tang, while the grape tomato adds a little juiciness to each bite along with some sweetness.

My finished potato puff served with salsa and cilantro and atop Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso.

The inside of one of the potato puffs.

Another puff cut open and drizzled with Nacho Mom's Vegan Queso.