![]() Potato "bombs" with meat filling. © Michelle Chaplow |
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Bomba de patatas
By Janet Mendel
Recipe for Potato "bombs" with meat filling by Janet Mendel from the book - Tapas, a bite of Spain.
Potato "bombs" with meat filling.
Makes 15 tapas
Ingredients:
- 1kg/2¼ lb potatoes, peeled and cut up
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 250g/9oz mince meat
- ½ onion, chopped
- 1 small green pepper, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 150g / 5 oz chopped tomatoes, tinned or fresh
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon hot pimentón (paprika) or pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 125g/ 4 ½ oz fine dry breadcrumbs
- Olive oil for frying
1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain and massh, adding salt
2. In a frying pan, heat the oil and brown the minced meat, 5 minutes. Add the onion, pepper, garlic and continue frying. Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt, cumin, oregano and pimentón. Cook, uncovered, until liquid is reduced, about 15 minutes.
3. Using 2 spoons, shape potatoes into egg-sized balls - 5cm/2in- (each about 50g). Cut each potato ball in hall, make an indentation and fill with a spoonful of the meat filling. Press the halves together and pinch the edges together to seal in the filling.
4. Dip the potato balls in beaten egg, then roll them in breadcrumbs. Heat oil to a depth of 25 mm/1 in until hot, but not smoking, and fry the balls, turning until golden, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Drain on absorbent towels and serve hot or room temperature.
Do ahead: Shape the potato balls, dip them in egg and breadcrumbs. Place them in a single layer on a tin and freeze. When the balls are frozen, pack them into plastic bags or freezer containers. Completely thaw the potato balls before frying them.
This recipe is one of the many in Janet Mendel's book - Tapas, a bite of Spain.
Buy your copy of Tapas, a bite of Spain

A feast for foodies - the definitive tapas cookbook from Spain's best-loved English food writer. An authentic taste of Spain, "Tapas" is the book all tapas aficionados have been waiting for!Brimming with authentic tapas recipes and serving suggestions, Janet Mendel's firsthand research make this simply the best ever tapas cookbook. Each entry provides a cameo historical narrative on the origins of the dish, its constituents and derivations, a full recipe, plus a full-color illustration.
Buy from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.es
Read our interview with Tapas A Bite of Spain’s author, Janet Mendel.
Read our interview with photographer Michelle Chaplow for stories behind the scene in photographing tapas for A Bite of Spain.