Born and raised in Venice, Italy, Manuela now lives with…
Dig into these savory, potato cakes filled with ham and provolone cheese and fried to perfection.
Here is a super delicious and quick recipe that I’m sure will become one of your favorite new potato dishes. It only requires readily available, inexpensive and simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen right now. It’s a tasty and comforting dish, perfect for all those times you feel like indulging in a delicious savory meal…Or for all those times that you have leftover mashed potatoes. It makes a fun appetizer or a week-night dinner that your kids (and not only!) will absolutely love.
What’s not to love about a perfectly fried, crispy potato patty, filled with a flavorful slice of ham, and melty, stretchy and gooey provolone cheese?
With their buttery and subtly sweet flavor, golden potatoes are the perfect ingredient for this recipe. And because of their vitamins and minerals content, any potatoes are actually a great and wholesome addition to your dinner.
Potatoes are naturally fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free, and gluten-free (of course!).And they are a great source of potassium, iron, vitamin C and vitamin B6.
Did you know that some of the starch in potatoes (resistant starch) has the same great qualities and health benefits as fibers? Resistant starch does not have calories because it’s not absorbed during digestion. It provides protection against some type of cancer, it improves glucose tolerance, it lowers cholesterol, and it reduces fat storage. Pretty amazing.
Step by Step Guide to Making Ham and Provolone Cheese Stuffed Potato Cakes
-
Prepare the Potato Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes, 2/3 cup of bread flour, and the instant yeast. Stir until well combined.
- Incorporate the egg and a pinch of salt (adjust according to preference) into the mixture.
- Gradually add the remaining bread flour to the mixture, blending until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms. Depending on the moisture content of the mashed potatoes, you may need to adjust by adding a bit more flour.
-
Kneading and Rolling:
- Lightly dust a clean countertop with bread flour.
- Transfer the dough to the floured surface and knead briefly until smooth.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thickness.
-
Cutting the Discs:
- Using a round cookie cutter or the rim of a cup (about 2.5 inches or 6.35 cm in diameter), cut out discs from the rolled dough. Aim for approximately 24 discs. Re-roll any dough scraps and continue cutting until you’ve used up all the dough.
-
Prepare the Ham and Cheese:
- For each cheese slice, wrap it with a slice of ham, ensuring the cheese is completely enveloped.
-
Assembling the Potato Cakes:
- Lay out half of the potato dough discs on your work surface.
- Place the ham-wrapped cheese slices onto the center of each disc.
- Top each with another potato dough disc, pressing the edges together firmly to seal and ensure the filling is well-enclosed.
-
Coating:
- Dip each stuffed potato cake into the bread crumbs, ensuring they’re evenly coated on both sides.
-
Frying:
- In a large skillet or frying pan, pour in oil to a depth suitable for shallow frying.
- Heat the oil over medium heat. To test its readiness, dip a wooden spoon or a small piece of dough into the oil. It’s ready when small bubbles form around the test item, and it gradually turns golden.
- Carefully place a few potato cakes into the hot oil. Fry until they’re deep golden brown on one side, then flip and fry the other side.
- Once done, remove the potato cakes from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.
-
Serving:
- Serve the Ham and Cheese Stuffed Potato Cakes while hot.
Ham and Provolone Cheese Filled Potato Cakes
- Author: Manuela Mazzocco
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 cakes 1x
Description
Dig into these savory, potato cakes filled with ham and provolone cheese and fried to perfection.
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340 gr) mashed potatoes*
- 1 cup (250 gr) bread flour, plus additional for dusting
- 1 packet (1/4 oz, 7 gr) fast-acting instant yeast
- 1 egg
- Salt, to taste
- 12 slices of ham (approximately 4.25 oz, 120 gr)
- 12 small, round, thick slices of provolone cheese (approximately 6.25 oz, 180 gr)
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs for coating
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the Potato Dough:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed potatoes, 2/3 cup of bread flour, and the instant yeast. Stir until well combined.
- Incorporate the egg and a pinch of salt (adjust according to preference) into the mixture.
- Gradually add the remaining bread flour to the mixture, blending until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms. Depending on the moisture content of the mashed potatoes, you may need to adjust by adding a bit more flour.
- Kneading and Rolling:
- Lightly dust a clean countertop with bread flour.
- Transfer the dough to the floured surface and knead briefly until smooth.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) thickness.
- Cutting the Discs:
- Using a round cookie cutter or the rim of a cup (about 2.5 inches or 6.35 cm in diameter), cut out discs from the rolled dough. Aim for approximately 24 discs. Re-roll any dough scraps and continue cutting until you’ve used up all the dough.
- Prepare the Ham and Cheese:
- For each cheese slice, wrap it with a slice of ham, ensuring the cheese is completely enveloped.
- Assembling the Potato Cakes:
- Lay out half of the potato dough discs on your work surface.
- Place the ham-wrapped cheese slices onto the center of each disc.
- Top each with another potato dough disc, pressing the edges together firmly to seal and ensure the filling is well-enclosed.
- Coating:
- Dip each stuffed potato cake into the bread crumbs, ensuring they’re evenly coated on both sides.
- Frying:
- In a large skillet or frying pan, pour in oil to a depth suitable for shallow frying.
- Heat the oil over medium heat. To test its readiness, dip a wooden spoon or a small piece of dough into the oil. It’s ready when small bubbles form around the test item, and it gradually turns golden.
- Carefully place a few potato cakes into the hot oil. Fry until they’re deep golden brown on one side, then flip and fry the other side.
- Once done, remove the potato cakes from the oil and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Serving:
- Serve the Ham and Cheese Stuffed Potato Cakes while hot.
Notes
* You need about 1 lb (450 gr) of potatoes (before peeling, cooking and mashing).Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut in half and place in a pan cover with salted water. Bring to slow boil and cook for about 15 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes. Pass through a ricer when still hot. Let it cool down a bit before starting with the recipe
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Appetizer, Main
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 potato cake
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 420mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
Keywords: fried potatoes, fries, potatoes, frying, fried food, french fries, mashed potatoes, football, party food, finger food
Born and raised in Venice, Italy, Manuela now lives with her husband and two children in Los Angeles, California. In her blog, Cooking with Manuela, she strives to share her passion for Italian food. As a mom of two young boys, most of her dinner preparations are done while checking homework, quizzing for science tests, and looking for Lego pieces. Her step-by-step recipes help readers create delicious food while on a busy schedule. There is nothing as special as ending your day with your family or friends sharing a good conversation and a tasty homemade meal.
I can’t wait to try this! Perfect way to use up some leftover ham.
Beautiful site!
★★★★★
This turned out absoltely fantastic, not a crumb left and my kids loved it too!
★★★★★