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This is a recipe for baked, cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Mashed Potato Puffs that are coated in a crunchy cornflake and panko crust.
STORYTIME
With nothing but time at home and a new found love for leftovers, I thought this was the perfect time to share my recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Mashed Potato Puffs.
Just upon the start of this global pandemic crisis, my little one had already started “distance learning” because her school sat within the 1 mile radius of the New Rochelle epicenter of the outbreak here in New York.
As a result, we were already on heightened alert about what might be coming down the pike so I headed out to Costco and stocked up on a few supplies, a giant bag of Broccoli Florets was among that stockpile. We do love broccoli but I don’t know what I was thinking,lol.
Anywho, while it’s been nice having my son home from college and spending extra time with my daughter, I quickly found out that the kitchen NEVER closes!
I have been doing my part to conserve and not waste food, despite the fact that my family doesn’t like things heated up.
*rolls eyes *
I think I may have spoiled them a skosh. Don’t feel sorry for me, I am definitely a victim of my own circumstance.
With all that said, this left me with a challenge, how to use leftovers without making them taste like leftovers. Enter these mashed potato puffs.
I don’t think these kids can’t outsmart me.
Or can they?? Hmm….
I’m still not sure on that one.
Anyway, I decided one way to use up some leftover mashed potatoes and the over abundance of broccoli florets in my refrigerator was to repurpose them into little mashed potato broccoli bites.
This is a very similar recipe to an old blog favorite, Mashed Potato Cheddar Puffs . The main difference is I used homemade mashed potatoes instead of the potato flakes and of course, I added broccoli.
Pro Tip: Use a small Ice Scream/cookie scooper so that each puff is the same size.
Did I outsmart the fam
You bet I did. This time at least.
I will say these cheddar mashed potato bites came out really good and the kids ate them up right away.
They ate leftovers. What?! Hard to believe I know.
A few challenges
I really wanted these puffs to be more round, like balls but they flattened out a bit.
I think it was the moisture from the mashed potatoes left them a little flat. It did not matter though, they were so yummy. Also these are baked not fried. Another win in my book.
I rolled mine in corn flake crumbs which gave them an extra crunchy coating.
Overall it was a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes and ALL that broccoli.
Be well and stay safe foodie fam! Don’t forget to PIN, LIKE, COMMENT,FOLLOW!
xoxo
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Broccoli Mashed Potato Puffs
Ingredients
- 2 cup mashed potato leftover
- broccoli florets cooked
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup Corn Flake Crumbs
- 1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 2 cloves crushed/minced garlic
- 2 scallions scallions, chopped reserve some of the green for garnish
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Mix together all the ingredients except the breadcrumbs.
- Place the breadcrumbs and corn flake crumbs into a shallow bowl and mix together. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and begin to roll about a tablespoon of the mixture into a ball and then into the breadcrumb/cornflake mixture and place on baking sheet. Continue until there is no more mashed potato mixture. Place pan in refrigerator for about a 1/2 hour to chill the puffs.
- When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with leftover scallions.