These mashed potato stuffing bites are the perfect appetizer for the holiday season or a great way to use leftovers. Mashed potatoes and stuffing are combined into tasty little balls that are coated and then fried until golden and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside!
I’ve been bringing you tons of pumpkin recipes to celebrate fall, but there’s another reason I love fall and winter so much – the fun holiday recipes!
I love whipping up sweet treats like Halloween cookies, mini pecan pies, and gingerbread cake with cinnamon molasses frosting throughout the season. I also love serving up savory options that I reserve for this time of year, like classic roasted turkey or this bacon wrapped rib eye roast.
Of course, classic sides like mashed potatoes and stuffing are also a big hit. As much as I love them, I also love getting creative with them.
My mashed potato stuffing bites combine these classic sides into one poppable snack that makes the perfect appetizer for any holiday party or a great way to use holiday leftovers!
I HIGHLY recommend serving these bites with my easy cranberry sauce recipe for dipping. YUM!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Made fresh, these bites only take a few simple ingredients found in your kitchen or local grocery store. Made with leftovers, they take even fewer ingredients!
- Easy: This is a quick and easy recipe that only takes about 15 minutes when made with leftovers or a little over 30 minutes when made with fresh ingredients.
- Tons of Delicious Flavor: Every bite is loaded with the seasoned flavor of stuffing and the rich, creamy texture of buttery mashed potatoes.
- Customizable: There are just as many ways to change up the flavor of these bites as there are ways to customize traditional mashed potatoes and stuffing.
- Versatile: These are the perfect savory holiday appetizer or a delicious way to use up holiday leftovers.
- Easy to Save for Later: These bites are freezer-friendly, so you can store any extras for future snacking.
Ingredients
I’ve included a list of ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe right here, but you can find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
For Fresh Bites
- Stove Top Stuffing
- Russet potatoes
- Butter
- Milk
- Garlic salt
- Salt and pepper
- Panko bread crumbs
- All-purpose flour
- Buttermilk
- Egg
- Vegetable oil
For Bites with Leftovers
- Leftover stuffing
- Leftover mashed potatoes (try the best mashed potatoes)
- The other ingredients listed above
Variations
- Sour Cream: Add a bit of sour cream to your mashed potatoes for bites with a bit of tang.
- A Little Heat: Add some red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
- Cheesy: Mix in some cheddar cheese for cheesy mashed potatoes and stuffing bites.
- Meaty: Use this easy sausage corn bread stuffing in place of Stove Top for a meaty variation.
- Seasonings: Use your favorite mashed potato seasonings or your favorite homemade stuffing recipe to create bites tailor-made for your family and friends.
How to Make Mashed Potato Stuffing Bites
I’m including a brief overview of the recipe for you to showcase how easy these bites are. The full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Create a dredge station with three shallow bowls: one with flour, one with buttermilk and egg, and one with the bread crumbs.
- Make your stuffing and mashed potatoes, or use leftovers.
- Mix equal amounts of stuffing and mashed potatoes, and roll them into balls.
- Roll the balls into the flour, followed by the buttermilk mixture and bread crumbs.
- In a large cast-iron pan or frying pan, fry 8 to 10 balls at a time in hot oil until golden brown.
- Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Enjoy with gravy or cranberry sauce!
Tips
- Use chilled mashed potatoes and stuffing to make mixing and forming them into balls easier.
- Give your bites a gentle shake after dipping them in each bowl to ensure the perfect coating.
- To test your oil’s heat, place the handle of a wooden spoon into it. If you get steady bubbles around the handle, the oil is hot enough.
- Work in small batches to ensure your oil stays at the correct temperature, giving you a crispy, golden coating with no sogginess.
Mashed Potato Stuffing Bites FAQ
Mashed potato stuffing bites are an appetizer made with a filling of mashed potatoes and stuffing mixed together. Teh filling is then coated with panko and fried until golden brown.
If your oil isn’t hot enough, it won’t immediately begin crisping the panko coating. This allows the oil to seep into and through the coating, creating greasy, soggy bites.
These bites are perfect with cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, or country gravy for dipping.
More Delicious, Crispy Fried Bites to Enjoy
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Mashed Potato Stuffing Bites
Ingredients
- 1 box Stove Top® Turkey Stuffing
- 2 large Russet potatoes (Costco size), peeled, cubed
- ½ cup butter
- ¼-1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups Panko® bread crumbs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 2+ cups vegetable oil
Instructions
- Cook stuffing according to package directions. Set aside.
- Put potatoes in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft. Drain and return to pan.
- Add butter, milk, garlic salt, salt, pepper and mash.
- Using three separate bowls, add flour to the first bowl, whisk buttermilk and egg in the second bowl and bread crumbs to the third bowl.
- Grab equal amount of stuffing and mashed potatoes (about a tablespoon total) and roll into a ball. Place on a baking sheet and continue until all the balls have been formed.
- Roll each ball into the flour, then the buttermilk mixture and finally in the bread crumbs.
- In a cast iron pan or large frying pan, heat oil to 350°.
- Place about 8 -10 balls into the pan and fry until golden brown on all sides.
- Remove and place on plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve with gravy.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Be sure to take into account how long your leftover mashed potatoes and stuffing were stored.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag with as much air removed as possible.
- Defrost overnight in the fridge if frozen. Then, microwave individual portions at 30-second intervals until warm.
- Use chilled mashed potatoes and stuffing to make mixing and forming them into balls easier.
- Give your bites a gentle shake after dipping them in each bowl to ensure the perfect coating.
- To test your oil’s heat, place the handle of a wooden spoon into it. If you get steady bubbles around the handle, the oil is hot enough.
- Work in small batches to ensure your oil stays at the correct temperature, giving you a crispy, golden coating with no sogginess.
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.
Enjoy, Terri
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Do you think these could be baked instead of fried? They look great! But I don’t really fry stuff.