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White, blue-rimmed pan is filled with rellenos de papa. A relleno is on a square of wax paper below a white bowl filled with mayo-ketchu sauce.

Rellenos de Papa (Picadillo Stuffed Potato Fritters)

Course: Appetizer, Entree
Cuisine: Latin American, Puerto Rican/Hispanic
Keyword: ground meat, picadillo, potatoes, rellenos de papa
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
cooling time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 219kcal
Author: Marta Rivera
Rellenos de Papa are fluffy potato fritters with flavorful savory beef picadillo filling. Their crisp exterior and easy-to-make meat filling make them a favorite snack in many Latin American countries.
Begin early in the day, or a day ahead, for best results. Total time includes needed cooling of the potatoes and picadillo. Makes 12 large rellenos or 24 mini.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • dutch oven
  • Grater

Ingredients

For the Potato Mixture

  • 2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kilograms) russet potatoes peeled
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons (8 grams) cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon bijol or sazón or saffron, optional

For the Beef Picadillo

  • 1 pound (454 grams) ground beef or other ground meat (see note)
  • 1 small green bell pepper diced (about 1 cup or 135 grams)
  • 1 small white onion diced (1 cup or 130 grams)
  • 4 cloves (2 teaspoons or 10 grams) garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup (130 grams) sofrito
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (3 grams) adobo seasoning
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (3 grams) sazón
  • 1 teaspoon (2 grams) granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon (2 grams) onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 8-ounce can (227 grams) no-salt added tomato sauce
  • 10 olives sliced (or 1 tablespoon/11 grams sliced olives)
  • 1 teaspoon capers

To fry the rellenos

  • 1/4 cup (16 grams) cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon bijol or saffron, optional
  • oil for frying

Instructions

Boil the Potatoes Until Tender

  • Add the peeled potatoes to a large pot and cover them with at least 4 inches of cold water.
    Bring the water to a gentle boil over medium-high heat and boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until a knife can pass through the center of the largest potato without resistance.
  • Drain the potatoes in a colander once they're tender and leave them to cool completely inside the colander.

Prepare the Beef Picadillo While the Potatoes Cool

  • Add the ground beef to a large skillet or pan. 
    Turn the heat on to medium and allow the beef to come up to temperature with the pan.
  • Cook the meat until it starts to brown, then add the green bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the pan.
    Use the fat, rendered from the beef, to sauté the aromatics for 3-4 minutes, occasionally stirring, until the meat is brown and the vegetables are translucent. 
  • Stir the sofrito, adobo, sazón, granulated garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper into the ground beef.
    Continue cooking the meat for 1-2 minutes.  
  • Stir the tomato sauce, sliced green olives, and capers into the meat mixture in the pan.
    Continue cooking the picadillo for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to dry out slightly. The finished picadillo will be thick but not dry, much like taco filling.  
  • Allow the beef picadillo to cool completely.
    If you didn't have time to make the picadillo a day ahead, spread it in an even layer on a sheet pan and cover it with plastic wrap. Allow it to come to room temperature, then refrigerate it for as long as possible. 

Prepare the Potato Mixture

  • Use a box grater to grate the cooled potatoes into a large mixing bowl, then use a fork or potato masher to combine the beaten egg and potatoes.
    Add the cornstarch, kosher salt, and bijol to the potato mixture and use your hands to combine the mixture completely.
    The mixture should be pliable without being runny or too stiff. Press it into a thin layer in the shape of the mixing bowl to cool it quickly.
  • Press a piece of plastic film against the potatoes to keep them from drying out, then put the bowl in the fridge to chill them completely.
    Chill the potatoes for at least one hour or up to 3 hours.

Form the Rellenos de Papa

  • Set up the bowls with the potato mixture and picadillo next to one another.
    Sift the remaining cornstarch and a few dashes of bjiol for color onto a sheetpan or tray.
  • Score the potato mixture in the bowl into 12 equal portions using a rubber spatula.
    Lay the plastic wrap you covered the bowl of potatoes with over your hand and use your other hand to place a portion of the potato mixture into the center of your palm.
  • Press the potatoes into a 1/4" thick disc with the opposite hand.
    Place a mound (about 3 tablespoons worth) of chilled picadillo into the middle of the potato disc.
  • Close the fingers of the plastic-covered hand to bring the potato mix up and around the picadillo.
    Add a little of the potato mixture to any cracks in the surface if you need to. 
    Lay the relleno de papa on a sheet pan and continue molding until you've used up your potatoes and/or picadillo. 

Heat the Oil, Coat the Rellenos, Then Fry

  • Begin heating the oil before dusting your rellenos de papa so the oil gets hot while you coat them.
    Heat the frying oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat to a temperature between 350°F (177°C) and 375°F (190°C).
  • Coat your hands with some of the cornstarch from the dusted sheet pan once the rellenos are formed.
    Toss a relleno de papa gently back and forth between your dusted hands to give them a light dusting of cornstarch.
    Carefully place the dusted rellenos on a large sheet pan, ensuring they don't touch, which will cause them to stick together. 
  • Use a slotted spoon, preferably wooden, to gently slide a relleno or 3 into the hot oil. It's okay if the relleno sticks slightly to the sheet pan when lifting it. Just scrape up what was left behind and mold it onto the relleno.
    Fry rellenos de papa for 6 minutes in the hot oil. After 1 minute of frying, use a flat spider (pictured above) to nudge the papas from the bottom of the pot.
    Swish them around in the oil carefully as they cook to keep them from frying too close to one another. 
  • Transfer the golden brown fritters to a rack placed over a sheet pan and allow them to drain thoroughly.
    Continue frying the rellenos, allowing the oil to come back up to temp before adding the next batch.
  • Serve rellenos de papa while hot with a side of mayo-ketchu or your favorite hot sauce.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:
  • Replace half of the Russet potatoes with Yukon Gold potatoes. 
  • Replace the ground beef in this recipe with ground pork, turkey, chicken, or a plant-based ground protein.
  • You can omit the olives and capers in this recipe. 
  • Replace the bijol with turmeric, saffron, or omit it altogether. 
Tips and Techniques:
  • I recommend making the potato mixture and the picadillo filling the day before you fry the rellenos de papa. Both components must be as cool as possible to keep the fritters from falling apart in the frying oil. 
  • Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan only if you use ground chicken, turkey, or plant-based ground protein because they're so lean and won't render enough fat to sauté the aromatics in.
  • Cutting and mashing the potatoes for rellenos de papa creates lumps, so grating or ricing the potatoes is the best way to make the potato mixture. Avoid using a food processor to mash the potatoes as it causes them to become gummy.
  • Aim for sections of mashed potato that are about 1/2 cup each, borrowing from other sections as needed.
  • You can also fry your rellenos de papa in a deep fryer.  
  • Ensure the potato mixture and picadillo are ice-cold before forming the rellenos de papa. Make sure that the potato mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape, as well.
  • You can freeze fried rellenos de papa, but I don't recommend it because the exterior becomes soggy after thawing and reheating them.
Air-Fryer Rellenos de Papa:
  1. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C) on the air fry setting. Lightly grease the tray with cooking spray.
  2. Arrange the potatoes on the tray, leaving space around each to allow air to circulate around them.
  3. Brush or spray a very light coating of oil on the outside of the ball and air fry them for 15 minutes. If they become too brown, carefully flip them over to the other side before continuing to cook.
Baked Rellenos de Papa:
  1. Preheat an oven to 450°F (232°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. Arrange the uncoated rellenos de papa on the sheet pan with an inch of space around each one.
  3. Bake the rellenos de papa for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan after 10 minutes to ensure they bake evenly.
Mayo-Ketchu Dipping Sauce Recipe:
  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup (115 grams) of ketchup
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of adobo
    1. Combine the ingredients together in a small bowl using a whisk or spoon.
    2. Chill for 10 minutes, then serve the mayo-ketchu in a dipping bowl. 
Storage Instructions:
  • Leftover rellenos don't taste as good as they do freshly made. Store leftover rellenos de papa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • To reheat rellenos de papa, arrange them on a lightly greased sheet pan and heat them in a 400°F (204°C) oven for 5-10 minutes.
Freezing Instructions:
  • To freeze raw rellenos de papa:
    1. Don't coat the formed rellenos in the cornstarch mixture. Instead, lay the formed potatoes on a lightly greased sheet pan and freeze until solid.
    2. Store the frozen papas in a freezer bag for 6 months or less.
    3. Allow frozen rellenos de papa to thaw for an hour in the refrigerator, then fry them for 7 minutes to account for being partially frozen.
  • To freeze fried rellenos de papa:
    1. Freeze them until solid on a lightly greased sheetpan.
    2. Transfer the potato balls to a freezer storage bag and keep them frozen for 3 months.
    3. Thaw frozen rellenos in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat them in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 10 minutes or in a 400°F (204°C) air fryer for 5 minutes or until warmed through.

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 544mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 63IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg