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Ingredients
- 200 g / 7 oz potato, cut into small chunks (about 2 medium-small potatoes, but it's best to weigh them after peeling)
- 90 g / about 3 1/4 oz cornstarch or potato starch
- 100 g / about 3 1/2 oz grated cheese - half feta and half a sharp cheese like cheddar, parmesan or gruyere (you can also try all feta, which would make them more sour)
- Salt for cooking the potatoes
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Boil the potato chunks in salted water, until they are almost falling apart. Drain well, return to the pan and shake around until the potatoes have dried out.
Put the hot cooked potato chunks in the bowl of a food processor, and process until it's pasty and gooey. Add the cornstarch or potato starch and the cheese, and pulse until all mixed. Take the dough out of the food processor and knead a little bit. It should be a non-sticky and very pliable dough - sort of like Play-Doh. If it seems too loose add a bit more corn/potato starch. (Note: the amount of cornstarch or potato starch required seems to differ for some people. I suspect this has to do with how well you drain and dry off the potatoes, and what kind of potatoes you are using. I use a firm boiling type of potato, such as Charlotte, Nicola or Bintje. In the U.S. Yukon Gold is a good kind to use here. Baking potatoes may be a bit too floury to achieve the slightly gummy texture you want from the mashed up potato.)
If you don't have a food processor, mash up the hot potato chunks with a masher, then mix in the other ingredients while it's still hot, being careful not to burn your fingers. Knead well. It's almost as quick to mix by hand as by food processor.
Divide into 12 to 16 equal pieces, and form into balls. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned on the outside. (They won't really puff up much since they have no leavening.) Best eaten while still warm.
You can vary this by adding sesame seeds, sprinkling grated cheese on the top (brush the tops with egg white or milk to make it stick), and so on.