Ham & Cheese Potato Superballs

Let’s start a new year of blogging with a savory, super easy recipe : Polpette di Patate AKA Potato Superballs. I’ve always been a huge fan of this amazing starchy tuberous, so healthy and versatile. I filled the superballs with two of my favorite Italian products : Prosciutto Cotto (Italian Cooked Ham) and Provolone Dolce cheese.

Prosciutto cotto, literally cooked ham, is the most popular deli product in Italy. Prosciutto cotto is very different from the American ham. The skin is left on top to keep in moisture and flavors. The cooking process is very slow in order to create a unique texture. Prosciutto cotto is not smoked or sweetened and it’s very low in sodium. To enjoy the prosciutto cotto at its best is very important to have it sliced properly. The deli clerk MUST remove the rind of the part he will be slice and leave the white fat that add an amazing flavor. Prosciutto cotto needs to be thinly sliced with a deli slicer.

Provolone cheese it’s a semi-hard cheese from cow’s milk widely produced in the Po Valley (Lombardy and Veneto regions). It comes in two forms : Provolone Dolce, 2-3 months aged, pale yellow color and mild taste. Provolone Piccante, aged more than four months and with a sharper taste.

Enjoy the potato superballs as an appetizer, side dish or shape them into  smaller balls for your kid’s lunch box 😉

Buon Appetito!

Recipe & Photo by Ale Gambini – BreadloveAndDreams.com

 

Servings : 6 

Difficulty : easy

Prep Time : 30 minutes

Cook Time : 5 minutes

 

INGREDIENTS

2 large potatoes

½ tablespoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

1 egg yolk

1 pinch ground nutmeg

salt and pepper, to taste

3 slices Prosciutto Cotto (Italian cooked ham), thinly sliced

3 slices Provolone cheese

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup water

bread crumbs, for coating

canola oil, for frying

 

 

DIRECTIONS

Peel, wash and place the potatoes into a medium saucepan.

Add cold water until it covered. Add ½ tablespoon of coarse salt and bring to boil. Cook for about 20 minutes or until tender.

Drain the potatoes then mesh with a potato ricer.

Add butter, parmesan cheese, egg yolk, ground nutmeg, salt, pepper and combine all the ingredients until smooth.

Prepare the filling chopping ham and provolone cheese into small pieces, then combine them.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes into the palm of your hand, fill the center with 1 teaspoon of filling then shape into baseball-sized balls.

In a soup plate, prepare the batter mixing flour and water. The consistency should be just thick.

Drench each balls briefly into the batter, then dip into the bread crumbs making sure to coat them completely.

Lay the balls into a large skillet of abundant hot oil and fry until golden.

Drain over a plate lined with paper towel.

Allow to cool a couple of minutes before serving.