Idaho® Potato Stuffing Balls

Ingredients:

• 6 cups of mashed Idaho® potatoes
• 6 cups of stuffing
• 1 cup of pan-fried pancetta
• ⅓ cup of olive oil or pancetta grease
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, stuffing and pancetta, and mix together with your hands to ensure that the 3 ingredients are fully blended. Once blended, add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste, but you may find that you need neither, as the pancetta brings a nice salty taste to the blend, and the stuffing may be well seasoned.
3. Using your hands, form the ingredients into a ball about 2 inches in diameter, taking care to compact the ingredients so that they stay in the ball form. Each ball should be equally sized to ensure even cooking. And any ‘bits’ not pushed into the ball will darken or burn in the cooking process, so aim for an tray of smooth and equally sized balls. Lay each pall flat along the baking sheet, leaving a ½ inch space between them to allow for all sides to cook evenly.
4. To finish, lightly apply the grease from the pancetta or olive oil across each ball. As all the ingredients are pre-cooked, you are cooking time will depend on how long it takes for them to reach that beautiful golden brown color and slightly crispy outer shell; usually around 30 minutes.