Fried Beef and Potato Meatballs, an easy family-friendly appetizer made with beef mince and mashed potatoes, beautifully seasoned to create some delicious bite-sized meatballs that are golden and crispy on the outside, but tender and juicy on the inside. Perfect for a mezze-style feast served alongside dips, salads and bread, these meatballs are also a great addition to your lunchbox or picnic basket.
Meatballs are one of those universal dishes found in cuisines all around the world. They are incredibly versatile and generally budget-friendly, and are enjoyed by kids and grown-ups alike.
Whether you serve them as an appetizer or part of a main dish, simmered in tomato sauce or gravy, served over mashed potatoes or with pasta, you know you can never go wrong with meatballs.
From Romanian "chiftele", to Greek "keftedes", Italian "polpette" or Turkish "kofte", meatballs are so delicious, and very easy to make. Despite all the regional differences, the basic idea remains the same.
I have quite a few different meatball recipes, made with different kind of mince, from chicken meatballs made in the air fryer, to ground pork meatballs with mozzarella, beef meatballs in tomato sauce or turkey meatball curry.
What sets these fried beef and potato meatballs apart from the other meatball recipes I have is the addition of mashed potatoes to the meatball mixture. But it works so wonderfully well, I absolutely love them and I really hope you will too!
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Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- mince -I used beef mince (ground beef), but you can use any other mince too: chicken, turkey, pork, lamb or a combo
- potato - if you have any leftover mash, that's even quicker to make, but you can also make it from scratch like I did. It is best not to use mash that's too creamy and milky, as it can give the meatballs a too soft consistency
- onion and garlic - chopped finely or grated, they add tons of flavour to the meatballs. It can be any kind of onion, but I urge you to use fresh garlic for the best flavour
- fresh parsley and dill - a wonderful combo that works really well in this recipe, they add colour and freshness too
- paprika, salt and pepper - I kept the seasoning simple, sometimes, less is more
- grated parmesan - not a regular addition to meatballs outside Italy, but I absolutely love it and it adds a lovely sharp kick
- breadcrumbs - added to the mixture to keep it moist and to add extra texture
- egg - acts as a binding agent
- flour - plain or everyday flour used to coat the meatballs for an extra crispy touch
- oil - for frying, I used sunflower oil, but vegetable oil or any other odourless oil is also ok
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- peel and chop the potato into small cubes and add them to a pan
- cover with plenty of water, add a pinch of salt and boil until tender
- drain well and allow the potatoes to cool down completely
- use a potato mashed to mash them well, then add the mash to a large mixing bowl
- peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, and chop the parsley and dill finely
- add them to the mash together with the mince, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, parmesan and paprika
- mix well to get a uniform mixture
- leave the mixture to rest for 10-15 minutes so the breadcrumbs can soften
- with wet hands shape balls the size of a walnut, I made 25 meatballs
- coat the meatballs in flour, shaking well the excess flour
- heat up the oil in pan, and fry the meatballs in batches until golden brown
- remove the meatballs from the pan and transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil
Expert tips
Keep the meatballs on the smaller size, they cook more evenly and get a lovely crust. You do not have to have them completely submerged in oil, just turn them onto the other side once they have the right colour on one side.
Don't turn the heat too high, I fried the meatballs on a medium heat. Too high, and the meatballs will brown on the outside too quickly, while the middle of the meatballs isn't cooked right.
What to serve with meatballs
If you serve them as an appetizer, you can enjoy the meatballs alongside any salad of your choice, I have a rather generous amount of salad recipes you might like.
You can also enjoy them with yogurt flatbreads, crusty mini bread loaves, soda bread rolls or dinner rolls.
If you prefer to serve them as a main, you can serve them on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, or add them to your favourite sauce to enjoy with pasta of any shape.
If you’ve liked this recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM , YOUTUBE, TIK TOK , FLIPBOARD and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Fried Beef and Potato Meatballs
Ingredients
- 300 g beef mince (ground beef, 10 oz)
- 300 g large potato (10 oz)
- ½ shallot
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 40 g panko breadcrumbs (½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 65 g plain flour (½ cup)
- 2 cups sunflower oil
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Instructions
- Peel and cut the potato into small cubes, and add them to a pan.
- Cover the potato cubes with water, add a pinch of salt, and boil them until tender.
- Drain the water, and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes well.
- Set the mash aside to cool down completely.
- Peel and chop the onion and garlic finely, chop the parsley and dill as finely as you can.
- Add the cold mash, mince, chopped onion, garlic, parsley, dill, breadcrumbs, egg, paprika, salt, pepper and parmesan to a large bowl.
- Mix well to get a uniform mixture.
- Allow the beef mixture to rest for 10-15 minutes so the breadcrumbs can soften.
- With wet hands, shape balls the size of a walnut - I got 25 meatballs.
- Coat each meatball in flour, shaking the excess flour off.
- Heat up the oil on a medium heat, and batch fry the meatballs on both sides until golden brown.
- Remove the meatballs from the pan and transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.
Notes
- Keep the meatballs on the smaller size, they cook more evenly and get a lovely crust. You do not have to have them completely submerged in oil, just turn them onto the other side once they have the right colour on one side.
- Don't turn the heat too high, I fried the meatballs on a medium heat. Too high, and the meatballs will brown on the outside too quickly, while the middle of the meatballs isn't cooked right.
Nutrition
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