Puerto Rican Papas Rellenas (Picadillo-Stuffed Potatoes) #SundayFunday

April 30th is National Raisin Day and the Sunday Funday bloggers are sharing recipes that include raisins. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting.

Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired. This week, as I already mentioned, Wendy is hosting and picked a theme of raisins. Here's the #SundayFunday line-up for our virtual celebration of raisins...

• Carrot & Apple Bread from Mayuri’s Jikoni

• Double Cut Pork Chops with Apples and Raisin from A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Ember Avocado Toast from Palatable Pastime

• High Protein Oatmeal Raisin Baked Oatmeal from Amy’s Cooking Adventures

• Puerto Rican Papas Rellenas (Picadillo-Stuffed Potatoes) from Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Rich Fruit Cake from Sneha’s Recipe

Picadillo is typically made with meat, potatoes, olives, and raisins. I figured that was a good recipe to share for this event.

Ingredients

Picadillo

• 2 pounds ground meat (I used a mixture of ground turkey and ground beef)

• 1 cup diced onions

• 1 cup diced bell peppers (I used red bell peppers)

• 1 to 2 Tablespoons oil

• 1 cup sliced tomatoes

• 4 Tablespoons raisins

• 2 teaspoons ground smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika

• 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano leaves

• freshly ground salt

• freshly ground pepper

Papas Rellenas

• 2 pounds potatoes (I used red potatoes)

• water

• cornstarch for rolling

• 2 Tablespoons butter

• oil for frying

• sauces for dipping (I used an aioli with a tad of sriracha stirred in + a drizzle more of sriracha on the potato ball for serving)

Procedure

Picadillo Heat oil in a large pan and stir in onions and bell peppers. Cook until the onions are softened and beginning to turn translucent, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the ground meat and season with paprika and cumin. Cook until the meat is browned completely. Stir in the tomatoes and raisins; simmer until the tomatoes have lost their shape and liquid has been absorbed into the meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the fresh oregano leaves and set aside to cool.

Papas Rellenas Cube the potatoes and place in a pot, covered with water. Boil until fork tender, approximately 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Mash with butter 2 Tablespoons until they are smooth and gummy. Dust your hands with cornstarch and place 1/2 cup cornstarch in a small mixing bowl. Flatten about 1/2 cup mashed potatoes into a disk in the palm of your hand. Add a tablespoon of picadillo to the center of the disk and bring the edges of the potato up and around. Seal the edges by rolling the potato into a smooth ball. Roll the ball in cornstarch. Repeat until all the potato has been used, making sure to coat your hands each time so they don't get sticky. Pour oil (I used canola oil) into rimmed skillet. You'll want the oil to come up to about half the height of the balls. Once the oil is hot, gently lower the balls (I did this in two batches) into the oil and cook until golden brown. I turned mine occasionally, but they took about 6 to 7 minutes to get completely browned. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. To serve, place small pool of sriracha-spiked aioli on an individual serving plate. Top the aioli with a potato ball. Drizzle with more sriracha and serve immediately.

The #SundayFunday bloggers will be sharing recipes for chicken wings next week. Stay tuned!