Meat and potatoes is a classic combo nearly the world over. And with Trader Joe’s Papas Rellenas, TJ’s is serving up a Latin American take in the form of mashed potato croquettes stuffed with seasoned ground beef. It’s then rolled in bread crumbs and fried for a crunchy outside. All you need is 20 minutes and an air fryer (or oven). I went air fryer.
They come four to a box and I opted to make two. (You might notice grease stains on the back of the box, they’re not wrapped in plastic).
When it comes to airfrying and Trader Joe’s items, I pretty much always turn up the heat. So instead of the 350F the box called for, I went 370F for 18 minutes, turning at the halfway point. It sounded like a long time to me, but mashed potatoes can be dense and I had to make sure it was heated through to 165F.
The breadcrumb coating comes out nice and crispy and the mashed potato was remarkably soft. The ground beef filling is mildly seasoned, and not spicy. I know there are papas rellenas variations across Latin America and the Caribbean. The filling on this one kinda reminded me of Cuban picadillo. The potato to meat ratio leans toward potato, so that might seem skimpy to some folks.
I know people will ask about a dip, but even a dab of Cholula on top totally overpowered the flavor of the meat filling. For me, it really doesn’t need a dip or a sauce. (Though I think in Peru there’s a green salsa sometimes served with it). I’ll let Latine folks weigh in on dips!
Trader Joe’s Papas Rellenas ingredient list is pretty straightforward. Each croquette comes in at 11g of fat and 240 calories. I could have easily eaten two in snack mode. I don’t know how we’re getting 3g of fiber, but I’ll take it. Would I buy them again? Yeah, I think so. For $1.25 each ($4.99 per box), it’s a great little snack.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Cheese Empanadas with a Cassava Crust