Cheesy Potato Balls

My mother used to make us "croquettes". Ever since I was a little girl she made these for dinner parties and as a side dish and they were my ultimate comfort food. I decided to research a recipe that would please my picky neighbors who were coming for dinner and I remembered these. I followed the directions from the link below but wanted to mention a couple things: Remember to double-coat the potatoes. Otherwise, the potatoes split apart and look like they "exploded". Next, try a dip or sauce as they were "lacking" and needed something so we made a garlic, herb and dill dip to go with them and it was delicious. They were still good on their own. Additionally, for extra flavor I added paprika, garlic and fresh parsley to the bread crumbs. Keep in mind, a modification I made was I used all panko bread crumbs instead of mixing regular bread crumbs. "Panko bread crumbs" (or Japanese bread crumbs made from bread without crust) produce a lighter and crispier texture than just regular bread crumbs. You can find them in any of the Asian food or international food section aisles of your supermarket. If you cannot find Panko bread crumbs, don't worry! Simply remove the crust from the bread of your choice, place the bread part into a blender (or food processor) and process until coarse crumbly bread crumbs. Then you need to bake the mixture in a 300-350 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes (or until the bread crumbs are dry).

If you're going to give this a try but are worried about "frying" another option would be to coat the potatoes and then bake them in an oven. They are sure to come out tasty and delicious. I almost forgot! The most important addition we did was to add bacon! Who can resist mini cheesy potatoes balls and bacon. If this sounds like a perfect snack for your family, make sure to check out the link below to the 'Life Ambrosia' website!