A healthy baked version of this kids’ dinner time favourite!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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Homemade Potato Smiles
Prep Time: 45 mins- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 3 1x
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: European
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
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
- Preheat the oven to 180c.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Make the smiley faces by adding two eyes (using the end of a teaspoon) and a mouth (using a knife).
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Ix says
Great recipe, my 17month boy loved it! Thank you!
★★★★★
Jacqui says
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!
Ciara Attwell says
Probably best to freeze just before cooking then cook from frozen for a bit longer
Bronwyn says
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!
★★★★★
Gemma Bogle says
Can I add hidden carrot into them? @4 will this affect the consistency??
Ciara Attwell says
A small bit should be ok!
Erin says
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!
Ciara Attwell says
Thanks for sharing Erin, so glad you liked the recipe!
Dounya says
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!
Ciara Attwell says
So glad to hear they turned out well. I need to make these again soon!
Dounya says
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
Ciara Attwell says
Hi Dounya, yes you can absolutely fry them also. I hope he likes them!
Dounya says
I will let you know! and thanks for replying!
Ciara Attwell says
No problem at all. I love to hear from people who are trying my recipes!
Julie @ Lovely Little Kitchen says
What a great idea! My boys would love these.
Ciara Attwell says
Let me know if you try them. I’d love to see if other kids like them too!