Betty's Deep-Fried Mashed Potato Balls
Ingredients:
2 cups cold mashed potatoes (You may use leftover mashed potatoes, or you can make and chill a package of instant mashed potatoes--any flavor; it will make about 2 cups.)
2 well-beaten eggs (I started with one egg in the video, but had to add another to do the whole amount of mashed potatoes.)
freshly ground sea salt, to taste (You may use regular table salt.)
seasoned pepper, to taste (You may use regular ground black pepper or freshly ground peppercorns.)
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (I used the plain variety, but you may use a flavored type, if you like.)
peanut oil for deep-frying
a sprig of parsley for garnish
Grind sea salt into beaten eggs, to taste. Sprinkle beaten eggs with seasoned pepper, and set aside. Place ½ cup cornstarch in a shallow dish; also place 1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs in another shallow dish. Begin making your Deep-Fried Mashed Potato Balls by first forming a coating the balls: Take enough of the cold mashed potatoes into your hands to roll it into a 1-inch ball. Dip the ball into the egg mixture, then into the cornstarch, then back into the egg mixture, and finally into the breadcrumbs, tossing it gently to get it completely coated. Once it is completely coated, place it on a waiting plate, and repeat the process with the remaining cold mashed potatoes. You will get about 15 balls (or more if you make them a bit smaller than mine). When the balls are formed and coated, place them in the refrigerator or freezer to get them very cold, but not frozen. When ready to deep-fry the balls, put a little more than an inch of peanut oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Let the oil get to about 350 degree (F). Place a ball on a slotted spoon and ease it into the hot oil. It should sizzle. You will be able to tend about 5 or 6 balls at a time. These do not need to be turned or moved, but they should be watched for brownness. When they are nice and brown, remove them from the hot oil with a slotted spoon, and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat this process until all coated potato balls have been deep-fried. Transfer the drained mashed potato balls to a nice serving plate, and garnish with a sprig of parsley. Serve immediately, because they are best when hot! I hope you enjoy this recipe! It is easy and fun, and it is a procedure that I came up with that I wanted to share with you! Love, Betty ♥
Betty's Crispy Southern Fried Chicken Recipe
Ingredients (for buffet-style serving):
11 pounds chicken parts, washed and dried with paper toweling (I used breasts, wings, thighs, and legs.)
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
flour, as needed (about 1 ½ cups)
peanut oil, as needed (I used ¼ cup for a 13 ½-inch cast iron skillet.)
butter, as needed (I used 1 tablespoon butter for a 13 ½-oz. cast iron skillet.)
Prepare chicken by washing, drying, and removing excess fat, gristle, etc. Salt, to taste, working the salt into the chicken, using your hands. Place 1 ½ cups flour in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag. Dip each of the salted pieces individually into the bag of flour, and shake to coat. Set coated chicken pieces aside. Heat ¼ cup peanut oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter, and continue to heat until a pinch of flour sizzles in the hot oil/butter combination. Now, place a single layer of salted and flour-dredged chicken in the hot oil. Brown on the bottom side, and then turn each piece. Place the skillet in a 400 to 450 degree oven. Oven fry the chicken for about 10 minutes, then turn each piece over. Continue to oven fry the chicken until crisp and golden. Chicken must be cooked all the way through, with no pink showing! Remove the skillet of chicken from the oven, and place each piece of fried chicken on a tray covered with paper toweling to drain. Repeat this process with additional peanut oil and butter, until all salted, flour-dredged pieces are done. Serve the chicken in a large container (such as a rectangular foil pan) with the rest of your buffet. These 11 pounds of chicken made 25 large pieces, enough to feed quite a crowd of people! I hope you like my Crispy Southern Fried Chicken! Love, --Betty
In this video, Betty demonstrates how to make Deep-Fried Mashed Potato Balls. This is a great accompaniment to any dish you would serve with potatoes.
Ingredients:
2 cups cold mashed potatoes (You may use leftover mashed potatoes, or you can make and chill a package of instant mashed potatoes--any flavor; it will make about 2 cups.)
2 well-beaten eggs (I started with one egg in the video, but had to add another to do the whole amount of mashed potatoes.)
freshly ground sea salt, to taste (You may use regular table salt.)
seasoned pepper, to taste (You may use regular ground black pepper or freshly ground peppercorns.)
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (I used the plain variety, but you may use a flavored type, if you like.)
peanut oil for deep-frying
a sprig of parsley for garnish
Grind sea salt into beaten eggs, to taste. Sprinkle beaten eggs with seasoned pepper, and set aside. Place ½ cup cornstarch in a shallow dish; also place 1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs in another shallow dish. Begin making your Deep-Fried Mashed Potato Balls by first forming a coating the balls: Take enough of the cold mashed potatoes into your hands to roll it into a 1-inch ball. Dip the ball into the egg mixture, then into the cornstarch, then back into the egg mixture, and finally into the breadcrumbs, tossing it gently to get it completely coated. Once it is completely coated, place it on a waiting plate, and repeat the process with the remaining cold mashed potatoes. You will get about 15 balls (or more if you make them a bit smaller than mine). When the balls are formed and coated, place them in the refrigerator or freezer to get them very cold, but not frozen. When ready to deep-fry the balls, put a little more than an inch of peanut oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Let the oil get to about 350 degree (F). Place a ball on a slotted spoon and ease it into the hot oil. It should sizzle. You will be able to tend about 5 or 6 balls at a time. These do not need to be turned or moved, but they should be watched for brownness. When they are nice and brown, remove them from the hot oil with a slotted spoon, and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat this process until all coated potato balls have been deep-fried. Transfer the drained mashed potato balls to a nice serving plate, and garnish with a sprig of parsley. Serve immediately, because they are best when hot! I hope you enjoy this recipe! It is easy and fun, and it is a procedure that I came up with that I wanted to share with you! Love, Betty ♥
Betty's Crispy Southern Fried Chicken Recipe
In this video, Betty demonstrates how to make homemade, country-style Southern Fried Chicken. Seasoned with salt and pepper, dredged in flour, this chicken is browned on the stove and then oven-fried until golden brown. Yum!
Ingredients (for buffet-style serving):
11 pounds chicken parts, washed and dried with paper toweling (I used breasts, wings, thighs, and legs.)
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
flour, as needed (about 1 ½ cups)
peanut oil, as needed (I used ¼ cup for a 13 ½-inch cast iron skillet.)
butter, as needed (I used 1 tablespoon butter for a 13 ½-oz. cast iron skillet.)
Prepare chicken by washing, drying, and removing excess fat, gristle, etc. Salt, to taste, working the salt into the chicken, using your hands. Place 1 ½ cups flour in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag. Dip each of the salted pieces individually into the bag of flour, and shake to coat. Set coated chicken pieces aside. Heat ¼ cup peanut oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter, and continue to heat until a pinch of flour sizzles in the hot oil/butter combination. Now, place a single layer of salted and flour-dredged chicken in the hot oil. Brown on the bottom side, and then turn each piece. Place the skillet in a 400 to 450 degree oven. Oven fry the chicken for about 10 minutes, then turn each piece over. Continue to oven fry the chicken until crisp and golden. Chicken must be cooked all the way through, with no pink showing! Remove the skillet of chicken from the oven, and place each piece of fried chicken on a tray covered with paper toweling to drain. Repeat this process with additional peanut oil and butter, until all salted, flour-dredged pieces are done. Serve the chicken in a large container (such as a rectangular foil pan) with the rest of your buffet. These 11 pounds of chicken made 25 large pieces, enough to feed quite a crowd of people! I hope you like my Crispy Southern Fried Chicken! Love, --Betty
