SRC: Broccoli, Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potato Bites

It's time for another installment of the Secret Recipe Club!  We all took the month off in December for the holidays, but now I'm ready to be back in full swing.  This month I got to poke around Making Memories With Your Kids.  Erin's site is amazing.  It has been a great resource for me when I need a kid friendly recipe or a fun activity for my kiddos on a snowy day. I'm not really the "fun mom" who always has fun things for the kiddos to do and plays games and such.  I really have to work at it for some reason.  But it's nice to have a ton of ideas at my fingertips.  I made several of Erin's recipes, and it was really hard to decide what to actually post.  Between the Two Tone Cheesecake Bars and the Cream Puffs it was a delicious month at our house.

So on the recipe!  This month I chose Bacon, Broccoli, Cheddar Mashed Potato Bites.  It's so funny that I found these because I've been looking at mashed potato bites recipes for a couple of months and wondered if they were worth trying or not.  Most of what I found were pretty plain Jane type recipes.  But when I saw these chuck full of broccoli, cheese and BACON (sigh, heaven!) I knew what I needed to do.  And let me tell you, these are sooooo good!  Cheesy, bacony goodness in every bite!  They are nice and crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  My kiddos were going nuts over them.  It's a wonder that any of them made it to the dinner table.  Every time someone walked by they'd steal one.  Little stinkers!  :)

Now Erin makes hers out of something called "leftover Loaded Mashed Potatoes".  I've never seen this mythical thing myself.  I've never even imagined something so wonderful as that.  At my house, potatoes don't stand a chance.  If I made 50 pounds of mashed potatoes we still wouldn't have any left over.  So feel free to use your leftovers, they make these so simple, or you could make them from scratch.

Broccoli, Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Serves about 10

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups cooked and chopped broccoli

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise or Ranch Dressing

3 green onions, finely chopped

8 slices bacon, cooked crispy and chopped 

3 eggs

1  cup plain breadcrumbs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Cover potatoes in water in a large pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Drain and mash.

Stir in the cheddar cheese, mayonnaise or ranch dressing, sour cream, broccoli, green onions and 8 slices of bacon (crumbled.) 

Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Remove them from the refrigerator and form them into balls about the size of a golf ball.

In one bowl beat 3 eggs.  In another bowl add 1 cup bread crumbs and 1 cup Panko crumbs.  Dip each ball into the egg and then the bread crumbs.

Fry in hot oil for about 3 - 4 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, remove and place on a paper towel.  Serve immediately.