Puerto Rican Rellenos de Papa

4.91 from 11 votes

Rellenos de Papa (Puerto Rican stuffed potato balls) filled with savory carne molida (Puerto Rican picadillo). Golden on the outside, soft and perfect on the inside. Perfect as a snack or appetizer.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Servings: makes 12 rellenos de papa

Calories: 447kcal

Author: Catherine Arena

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

hot sauce of your choice for serving

For the Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo)

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion chopped
½ green, red, yellow or orange bell pepper rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoons Puerto Rican sofrito
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons pimiento stuffed olives cut in half
1 packet Sazón with Culantro and Annato
4 ounces tomato sauce
⅓ cup cilantro rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
⅛ teaspoon cumin
1 capful white or red vinegar
¼ cup water
salt to taste if needed

For the Potato Mixture

2½ pounds russet potatoes peeled and quartered
8 cups water or enough to cover the potatoes by a few inches
1 ½ tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoons cornstarch plus more for coating the potato balls

To Fry the Rellenos

vegetable or corn oil enough oil to cover the potato balls while frying

MayoKetchup Sauce (optional)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 clove garlic minced
salt to taste

Instructions

Carne Molida (Puerto Rican Picadillo)

Heat a skillet over medium and add the ground beef. Cook, breaking it apart with a spoon or spatula, until fully browned. If there’s too much grease in the pan, carefully drain the excess.
Add the peppers, onions, olives, sofrito, garlic, sazon, oregano, cumin, and vinegar, stirring well to combine. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, water and cilantro. Stir to combine, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed. The carne molida is done. Set aside to allow the meat to cool some.

Boil the Potatoes

In a pot, combine potatoes, water and salt. Cook for 25 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Drain the potatoes and allow the steam to escape for a few minutes.
Add the potatoes to a bowl and mash using a potato masher or press them through a potato ricer.
Stir in the butter, egg, salt, and cornstarch until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow them to cool in the refrigerator.

Forming the Rellenos

Once the potatoes have cooled, divide into 12 equal portions and form each portion into a ball.
Lightly dust your palms with cornstarch. Taking one ball at a time, form a well in the center using your fingers. Spoon about two tablespoons of the carne molida filling (picadillo) into the center, then gently mold the potato around the filling to seal. (If needed, add a little potato mixture to patch any cracks or open areas.) Repeat process with the remaining portions.
Lightly coat each ball with cornstarch to help prevent them from breaking apart while frying.
Add the balls to a large plate and cover with plastic wrap. Chill them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before frying.

Fry Potato Balls (Rellenos de Papa)

Add enough oil to a deep fryer, deep skillet, or heavy saucepan to be able to cover the potato balls.
Heat the oil over medium high heat for a few minutes until heated through. *To test, drop a little piece of potato into the oil, if it sizzles right away, the oil is ready.
Carefully lower the potato balls one at a time into the oil, do not overcrowd or the oil temperature will lower and the balls will break apart. Fry until golden brown on all sides.
Remove and drain on paper towels before serving. Serve warm with a side of hot sauce and mayoketchup (optional).

MayoKetchup Sauce (optional)

Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix well with a fork. Sauce is ready to serve.

Notes

Recipes Notes:

Chilling: Although not completely necessary, it is really helpful to chill the rellenos de papa for at least 20 minutes to ensure they do not break apart while frying.

Filling: You can swap the ground beef for ground chicken, ground pork, ground turkey, shredded chicken, cheese, or a vegetarian picadillo.

Bake: If you’d rather bake them, skip the cornstarch coating after shaping (the coating keeps them from getting that even golden color). Place the potato balls on a baking sheet and bake in a 425°F oven for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden and heated through.

Air-Fryer: Set air fryer to 400°F. Lightly grease the basket or tray and place the potato balls in a single layer, leaving a little space between each so the air can circulate. Lightly brush or spray them with oil, then air fry for about 15 minutes. Watch closely as they can burn depending on your air-fryer.

Nutrition