Potato Kofta
Serve these easy vegetarian meatballs with your favourite pasta sauce, alongside a crisp salad for lunch (like a fish cake), as an accompaniment to a cozy stew (think dumplings), or as a simple appetizer with ranch dip on the side.
- Total Time: 30min
- Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed-up cooked potato (325 grams, or about 1 large russet)
- 225 grams paneer, squeezed-dry ricotta OR grated mozzarella cheese
- ½ tsp or more kosher salt (if your potatoes weren’t cooked with salt, you’ll need about two teaspoons)
- Breadcrumbs, optional (see note)
Instructions
- Mix potato, cheese and salt in a large bowl to combine.
- Form into golf ball-sized balls and chill them on a plate in the fridge while you heat the oil for frying.
- Pour 2” of oil into a heavy, high-sided pot and place over medium-high heat. When it reaches 375ºF on a thermometer, or a small piece of the kofta batter sizzles right away, slide (don’t drop) a few koftas into the hot oil using a slotted metal spoon. Fry in batches so you don’t overcrowd the oil.
- Cook about 4 minutes, until golden brown, flipping once halfway through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining koftas.
Note
- If you are using actual leftover mashed potatoes, and have added cream and butter to them, you will need to add breadcrumbs until the balls hold together. Start with ¼ cup and add more as needed until a firm ball holds its shape. Fry a test one first before you do the rest.
To Bake
- Melt ¼ cup of butter in a small bowl. Roll koftas in the butter to coat then bake on parchment-lined baking sheet at 425ºF for 20 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes so that every side gets browned (they won’t be as round or as crispy).
