These lovely gluten free empanadas are made from mashed potatoes, stuffed with sauteed onion, green pepper, garlic and cheese (or other filling), breaded, and then deep-fried. I cannot tell you how crunch these were!-just wonderful! And they only take 80-90 seconds to fry! You can fill them whatever you desire. Just be certain that if you use cheese to shred the cheese because chunk do not melt very quickly. Make them ahead of time and fry them up right before you serve your meal. Who knew gluten-free empanadas could be so versatile! Enjoy!
Different countries make emapnadas different ways. This recipe is a spin-off from a cruise liner chef's recipe. What a wonderful change for dinner! - crisp on the outside, creamy mashed potatoes, melted cheese and flavorful veggies inside. Yum!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups mashed potatoes, chilled
- Sauteed onion and bell pepper (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup cheese of your choosing, shredded
- 1 egg, beaten
- Potato starch or cornstarch
- Salt, to taste
- Gluten-free bread crumbs (Homemade gluten free bread crumbs are the best. [see "tips" below].)
Instructions:
- Preheat oil or deep-fryer to 350°F.
- In 3 separate bowls, add egg, starch and bread crumbs. Set all aside including an empty plate for the completed balls.
- Take 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) chilled mashed potatoes and form a small round disk.
- Add 1 teaspoon of sauteed vegetables and a little shredded cheese.
- Form the mashed potatoes into a ball by closing up the disk around the filling, adding additional mashed potatoes, if needed, to ensure the filling is in the center of the ball. Roll into a ball shape and coat with starch. Then, coat with beaten egg, then starch again, then beaten egg again. Finally, roll in bread crumbs.
- In small batches, deep-fry in a deep-fryer or 2 inches of oil in a pan for about 1-1/2 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Tips
Ensure your mashed potatoes are very cold. I place mine in the freezer for about 5 minutes before forming the balls in whenever you are not using the dough. If you do not, the potatoes will be too soft and stick to your hands. Coating your hands lightly with a little starch may help from sticking to your hands, though I did not have a problem with this.
I have only tried one store-bought gluten-free bread crumbs and I was very displeased. I suggest making your own. I find the best way is to toast thinly sliced bread until very crispy, but not dark, and then run them through the food processor until you have slightly coarse crumbs. You can also leave the bread at room temperature until stale. If you bake your own gluten-free bread, you may save up the crumbs and use those. They will be mostly the crust, but they make wonderful bread crumbs because they are so crisp already and provide a lot of color.
You can skip the filling and just add shredded cheese mixed in with your mashed potatoes or use plain mashed potatoes. However, you cannot omit the breading. Otherwise, the mashed potatoes break up in the oil.
You can also use left over risotto instead of potatoes.
Great idea to use up your left over mashed potatoes.