Poutine Poppers and Brown Gravy
One of the best ways to eat potatoes is these poutine poppers! Mashed potatoes, stuffed with cheese curds, and rolled into a bite size ball. Deep fried until the outside is crispy and the cheese is gooey, serve them with this rich brown gravy. Like traditional poutine but more fun!
I’ve never been to Canada, but I hear that poutine is certainly a reason to make the trip!
When I first heard of poutine, I thought the combination was a little weird, but my husband eats his fries with mayonnaise. So what’s so weird about eating them with brown gravy? It’s like your favorite mashed potatoes and gravy but in an easy and delicious finger food.
These poppers take the yummy poutine recipe and make it even more fun and delicious. Mashed potatoes rolled into bite size balls, stuffed with a cheese curd, and deep fried.
You get a crispy outside, a fluffy mashed potato inside, and a gooey, melty cheese center. Perfect for dipping in that savory gravy!
These are very similar to my mushroom croquettes, these bacon croquettes, and these Southwest croquettes. All are delicious ways to use up leftover mashed potatoes.
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Mashed potatoes – This is great for using up leftover mashed potatoes! If you don’t have any you can make them fresh or buy some already prepared at the store to make things easier.
- Cheese curds – These are essential but if you can’t find these you can always use small cubes of mozzarella cheese.
- Spices – I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Feel free to add your favorite spices and even some crushed red pepper for some heat.
- Broth – This is for making the gravy so I like to use beef stock to give it more flavor but you can also use beef broth or even chicken broth in a pinch.
- Oil – This is for frying so use a vegetable, canola, or peanut oil because it has a higher smoke point and can hold up to the higher temperatures with deep frying.
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How To Make Poutine Poppers
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Scoop the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Flatten with you hand into a disc. Place 1-2 cheese curds in the center and fold the potato around the cheese to form a ball.
- Place on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer while you make the gravy.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and stir until you get a paste.
- Stir in the beef stock and cook until it comes to a boil. Turn the low. Stir in the spices and stir until the gravy thickens (roughly 6-8 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside while you fry the poppers.
- Heat the oil to 375F. Remove the potato poppers from the freezer and fry them in batches of 5 poppers (or less). Fry one side for 3 minutes. Flip and fry on the other side 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove, drain on paper towels, serve hot with gravy.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat in the oven at 300F or pop them in the air fryer to keep the outside crispy.
How To Freeze
The poppers and the gravy can bother be make ahead of time and frozen. Be sure to completely cool them before you store them, and use freezer safe containers or bags. They will last for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to eat them, thaw the gravy on the stovetop or in the microwave. Reheat the poppers in the oven or the air fryer like above. I like to thaw them overnight in the fridge to make it go faster.
If you don’t feel like cooking them, you can still make the poppers (through step 3) and then freeze them on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen solid, transfer to a storage container. They will last up to 6 months this way.
When ready, thaw them slightly in the fridge and then fry as usual.
Best Way To Enjoy
I love serving these with the yummy gravy most of all, but if you prefer something else, try this bang bang sauce, this fry sauce, or this blooming onion dipping sauce.
Or keep it simple with a creamy ranch or sour cream and onion dip.
Frequently Asked Questions
This can be done in an air fryer but the poutine poppers must be frozen solid so I suggest making them a day ahead and leaving them in the freezer until it it time to fry them. Preheat your air fryer to the highest setting and air fry for 8-10 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
The mashed potatoes should hold a shape when you mold them. Depending on how your mashed potatoes were prepared, you may have to add an additional tablespoon of flour to them. For example, if you add lots of milk and cream to your mashed potatoes, you may have to add extra flour to offset that. If you are just using mashed potatoes that have no additional ingredients, the amount of flour in the recipe should be perfect.
Use canola, vegetable, or peanut oil for frying. These oils have high smoke points and won’t burn.
Tapas Tips & Tricks
- Use an ice cream scoop to keep the potato balls all the same shape so they cook evenly.
- Make sure the cheese curds are completely sealed in the mashed potatoes to keep them from leaking out when you fry them.
- Fry 5 poppers at a time to keep the oil at a consistent temperature. Use a thermometer to keep the temp steady.
- Be sure to freeze them before you fry so they maintain their shape.
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This Poutine Poppers recipe is guaranteed to be the hit of your next party! They’re crispy, cheesy, and so much fun to eat, Plus the rich gravy for dipping makes them absolutely irresistible. Have you ever tried poutine before? Let me know in the comments!
Poutine Poppers and Brown Gravy
Ingredients
Potato Poppers
- 3 cups mashed potatoes
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces cheese curds
- canola or vegetable oil for frying
Brown Gravy Dip
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1½ cups beef stock
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Scoop the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Flatten with you hand into a disc. Place 1-2 cheese curds in the center and fold the potato around the cheese to form a ball.
- Place on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer while you make the gravy.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and stir until you get a paste.
- Stir in the beef stock and cook until it comes to a boil. Turn the low. Stir in the spices and stir until the gravy thickens (roughly 6-8 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside while you fry the poppers.
- Heat the oil to 375F. Remove the potato poppers from the freezer and fry them in batches of 5 poppers (or less). Fry one side for 3 minutes.
- Flip and fry on the other side 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove, drain on paper towels, serve hot with gravy.
Notes
- Use an ice cream scoop to keep the potato balls all the same shape so they cook evenly.
- Make sure the cheese curds are completely sealed in the mashed potatoes to keep them from leaking out when you fry them.
- Fry 5 poppers at a time to keep the oil at a consistent temperature. Use a thermometer to keep the temp steady.
- Be sure to freeze them before you fry so they maintain their shape.
Nutrition
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