(Papas Rellenas De Picadillo) Meat-Stuffed Potato Croquettes

Velouria's Note:

There is a wonderful Cuban bakery in Glendale, California called Porto's where I first tasted these. They are so delicious, and I was lucky enough to find a recipe for them in a Saveur magazine article about Cuba. You can't eat just one! NOTE: You only need 1 cup of the picadillo for the croquettes, so you will have a lot left over. The 6 servings apply only to the potato croquettes. You can serve the leftover picadillo over rice or make more of the potato mixture to make more croquettes.

• Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

For the picadillo filling

• 3 lbs ground beef
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 2 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 25 pitted green olives, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt

For the potato croquettes

• 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
• salt
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• vegetable oil
• 1 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. PICADILLO FILLING: Mix together beef, garlic, peppers, scallions, olives, raisins, capers, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, tomato sauce, and sherry in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with the back of a spoon, for 30-40 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Remove bay leaves.
2. CROQUETTES: Put potatoes in a medium pot, cover with cold salted water, and simmer over medium heat until soft, 25-30 minutes. Drain, then mash with a potato masher until smooth. Set aside to cool. Beat yolks into potatoes one at a time, add nutmeg and parsley, and season to taste with salt. Whisk whites in a bowl just until soft peaks form, then set aside.
3. Take 1 cup of the picadillo mixture. Oil palms of your hands, then shape 1/4 cup of potato mixture into a ball. Make an indentation in the center of the ball, then flatten it into a 4'' concave disk about 1/2'' thick. Fill center with 1 tablespoon picadillo. Cup potato mixture up and around filling. Pinch together to seal, reshaping to form a smooth ball. Dip ball into beaten egg whites, then into bread crumbs. Repeat process with remaining potato mixture and picadillo.
4. Pour oil into a deep skillet to a depth of 2'' and heat until about 350° on a candy thermometer. Fry fritters in batches until golden brown on all sides, 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
5. NOTE: Don't be frightened by the calorie count, since the amount is being calculated based on the whole picadillo recipe, not just the 1 cup needed for filling the croquettes.