My Fussy Eater | Easy Family Recipes

A family food blog full of healthy and easy recipes for fussy eaters

  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Website Terms & Conditions
    • Cookie Policy
  • All Recipes
  • By Category
    • 15 Minute Meals
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • One Pot Recipes
    • Hidden Veg Recipes for Fussy Eaters
    • Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Airfryer Recipes
  • By Diet
    • Gluten Free
    • Dairy Free Recipes
    • Egg Free
    • Nut Free Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Healthy Made Easy
  • Tips
  • Products
    • Cookbooks
    • APP
    • Pick Plates
Home » Family Meals » Homemade Potato Smiles

Homemade Potato Smiles

May 27, 2014 by Ciara Attwell, Updated September 24, 2021

Jump To Recipe Print Recipe
Pick Plates divided plates for kids

A healthy baked version of this kids’ dinner time favourite!

homemade potato smiles with a small white bowl of tomato ketchup in the foreground.

A couple of weeks ago I found myself with a pile of leftover mashed potato. Continuing in my efforts to be a bit more frugal with food and throw as little as possible away, I decided to have a go at making some homemade potato smiles.

My fussy eater loves the packaged variety but I try not to limit them to a treat dinner every so often.

I’d been meaning to have a go at making my own for a while and now, with a massive bowl of mash to use up, I had the perfect excuse.

close up of the homemade potato smiles

I thought these homemade potato smiles might be a bit tricky to make but they were surprisingly easy.

I added cheddar cheese to make them a bit more tasty but you can leave this out if you want to keep the fat content very low.

You don’t have to use leftover mash either. You can make a fresh batch but be sure to let it cool before you start adding the other ingredients.

step by step picture of making the potato smiles

My fussy eater was delighted when I produced these for lunch. She gobbled them down in record time, served with a portion of baked beans. I have to admit I quite enjoyed them myself with a dollop of ketchup!

the cooked potato smiley faces

If you liked my Homemade Potato Smiles recipe, then please do leave me a comment and a star rating below. You can also share your pictures with me on Instagram.  I always love to see your creations!

Print

Homemade Potato Smiles


★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Ciara Attwell
  • Prep Time: 45 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 3 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: European
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

A healthy baked version of this kids’ dinner time favourite


Ingredients

  • 500g mashed potato
  • 50g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 tbsp cornflour
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 medium egg, beaten
  • 50g breadcrumbs

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
  2. Mix the mashed pototo, cheese, cornflour and oregano together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will make the mixture easier to work with.
  3. Remove from the fridge and divide the potato mixture into 12 equal balls. Flatten each ball into a round shape the thickness of a one pound coin.
  4. Place the flatten potato balls onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, brush with egg and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Turn the potato smile over and repeat on the other side.
  5. Make the smiley faces by adding two eyes (using the end of a teaspoon) and a mouth (using a knife).
  6. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
1 Serving3403.5 g818.3 mg14.7 g5 g41.1 g3.4 g10.8 g

You Might Also Like These Recipes:

  • jacket potato bruschetta
    Jacket Potato Boats

    Make potatoes a bit more exciting with this recipe for…

  • Boost the nutritional content of your kids' meal with these skin on baked Sweet Potato Fries
    Skin On Baked Sweet Potato Fries

    Boost the nutritional value of your family's dinner with this recipe…

  • Bring leftovers back to life with these delicious mashed potato, ham, cheese and pea muffins! | My Fussy Eater blog
    Leftover Mashed Potato, Ham & Cheese Muffins

    Bring your leftover mashed potato back to life with these…

Filed Under: Family Meals Tagged With: healthy

Comments

  1. Ix says

    May 28, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    Great recipe, my 17month boy loved it! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Jacqui says

    September 5, 2018 at 9:42 am

    Hi,

    My daughter doesn’t like mash or home made wedges so this would be a good idea to try to get another carb into her thats not bread or pasta! Do you think I could freeze these? Before or after cooking? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      September 10, 2018 at 8:48 pm

      Probably best to freeze just before cooking then cook from frozen for a bit longer

      Reply
  3. Bronwyn says

    February 16, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    Such a great idea as I always make too much mash when we have sausage and mash. My boys demolished them so that has to be a good sign!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Gemma Bogle says

    November 8, 2016 at 7:14 pm

    Can I add hidden carrot into them? @4 will this affect the consistency??

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      November 8, 2016 at 9:45 pm

      A small bit should be ok!

      Reply
  5. Erin says

    October 15, 2015 at 12:39 pm

    I just tried this on my blog where I test out people’s recipes – they are so cute! They worked out really well, although I oven baked mine, like the recipe suggests, because I think if I fried them I might lose the definition in the face.
    Serving them for dinner tonight to super fussy kids, so fingers crossed!

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      October 16, 2015 at 10:56 am

      Thanks for sharing Erin, so glad you liked the recipe!

      Reply
  6. Dounya says

    September 23, 2014 at 8:49 am

    Hi, I made these the other day and they were delicious! frying didn’t work too well as they got a bit soggy so i put the rest into the oven. My fussy kids had a couple and were quite impressed. my 5 year old had a great time helping me put the eyes nose and mouth on them!

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      September 23, 2014 at 11:20 am

      So glad to hear they turned out well. I need to make these again soon!

      Reply
  7. Dounya says

    September 14, 2014 at 8:27 am

    Hi Ciara
    I’d like to make these with my kids today. Do you think it woudl work if we fried them? My son is super fussy so i thought maybe for the first time we could fry them (maybe they would be even tastier?), and then in the future we’ll bake them in the oven..
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      September 14, 2014 at 10:17 am

      Hi Dounya, yes you can absolutely fry them also. I hope he likes them!

      Reply
      • Dounya says

        September 14, 2014 at 12:17 pm

        I will let you know! and thanks for replying!

        Reply
        • Ciara Attwell says

          September 14, 2014 at 12:19 pm

          No problem at all. I love to hear from people who are trying my recipes!

          Reply
  8. Julie @ Lovely Little Kitchen says

    May 28, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    What a great idea! My boys would love these.

    Reply
    • Ciara Attwell says

      May 30, 2014 at 7:15 pm

      Let me know if you try them. I’d love to see if other kids like them too!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Hi, I'm Ciara! I'm a food writer and cookbook author and I'm always looking for new ways to make food fun and interesting for kids! I specialise in fussy eating and share tips and tricks to get your kids eating better along with lots of family friendly recipes. Read More…

sidebar1

Copyright © 2019 CIARA ATTWELL // MY FUSSY EATER