Ingredients (serves 8 | makes 8 )

• 500g Pork Mince
• 4 Medium Potatoes
• 1/4 cup Frozen Green Peas
• 1/4 cup Frozen Corn Kernels
• 1/2 cup Finely chopped or grated cheese
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Plain Flour
• 1 packet Chang's Crunchy Noodles
• 1 cup Breadcrumbs (fresh, packet or panko)
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 2 tbsp Mexican Flavour Base

Method

1. Peel and boil the potatoes until very soft. Drain really well, add the sour cream plus a little salt and mash well. Add the cheese and the corn, mix well and then set aside to cool.
2. To make the crunchy crumb for the outside of your meatballs, put the breadcrumbs, the mexican flavouring and the crunchy noodles into your food processor and blitz! If you don't have a food processor, place all ingredients in a medium ziplock bag, seal it up well, wrap in a tea towel and use a rolling pin to crunch up the noodles. You can make the noodle pieces as large or small as you like. Place the crunchy crumb mix into a flatish bowl.
3. To make the meat part of your meatball, combine the pork mince, the eggs and the plain flour and mix really well. Again you could add a little sprinkle of salt to taste.
4. Now you're ready to put them all together ...
5. Make a little potato ball using the mash potato mix and pop 4-5 peas in the centre.
6. Using 1 - 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture, make a flat patty in the palm of your hand, pop the potato ball inside and then bring the meat mixture up around it to form a ball.
7. Roll the meatballs in the crunchy crumb mixture and press as many of the noodles into the ball as possible.
8. Set all the meatballs on a plate and pop into the fridge for at least 1/2 an hour before cooking. This will help them keep their shape.
9. If you own a deep fryer, this is perfect to cook these meatballs. If not, use a smaller saucepan and fill with oil (up to about 5cm). Heat the oil but it is very important not to make it too hot (otherwise the outside will burn before the inside cooks through). I test the oil by putting in a little piece of noodle - if is sizzles gently the heat is good. Cook the meatballs 2 or 3 at a time turning a few times during cooking to get an even browning. Place meatballs on absorbent paper after cooking. It's worth testing one of the meatballs by cutting in half. If the meat is still a little pink, you can pop the meatballs in the microwave for 10 - 20 seconds to ensure the meat is well cooked.
10. Serve with more mash and vegetables. Or a Mexican inspired salad. You might like to serve up with a guacamole, some sour cream or a mexican salsa.

Notes

I created this idea for meatballs when I had some leftover mash. I have a big container of mexican flavouring in my pantry and the kids love anything mexican so they've been a hit ever since. These freeze really well and are the perfect to leave in the fridge for when you're not going to be home. If you don't want to use oil to cook these, you could place them on a tray and cook in the oven on 180 degrees celcius. They would probably take 20 - 30 minutes.