I’m always looking for something fun  to do with my leftover Corned Beef. I know it’s always good the next day just as is, but we so seldom have Corned Beef I really like to take it next level. These Corned Beef Fritters are it!

Corned Beef Fritters

One thing about corned beef is that its so flavorful you don’t need a lot for a recipe like this one, giving me more opportunities to make more things with corned beef. Over the years I kind of accidently started a little collection. Can you tell I love love love me some corned beef?

About Corned Beef Fritters:

I gotta tell you about these! A little leftover corned beef, of course, goes inside, but so does a little leftover sauerkraut, coz of course we had Reubens with some of our corned beef and we always have leftover sauerkraut when we make them. Then, of course I added cheese, Swiss cheese, also leftover from Reubens.

I feel like maybe I should stop – this is like a trainwreck of leftovers! It was all stuffed into a ball mashed from leftover potatoes from the corned beef dinner! I always make too many potoatoes. You can tell I breaded those suckahs and deep fried them. Oh my gosh are they good! Maybe next time I’ll cut the cheese a little larger for a better cheese pull, btw.

But now ya gotta know that what I used for a dipping sauce was some of my homemade 1,000 Island Dressing. And it was leftover, too. I don’t use enough Thousand Island, ever, even with my St. Paddy’s Day Reubens to justify buying a bottle from the store and it’s so easy to whip up a simple one at home.

Thousand Island Dressing

Making Corned Beef Fritters:

If possible, make these fritters with mashed potatoes made from red potatoes.

• They tend to make a heavier mash and hold together better than russets.
• Since red potatoes are a traditional accompaniment to corned beef it seems appropriate but you might have leftover potatoes like I did or at least potatoes you’ve bought but didn’t cook.

The key to these fritters holding together is to pay attention to the texture of the mashed potatoes:

• Don’t use your top-tier best company mashed potatoes that are super creamy and are made with all the butter and cream they can hold. All that dairy will warm up and the fritters will be so delicate they may not hold together.
• Use some butter, yes, and some liquid but just enough so that when you squeeze a ball of the potatoes together it holds together. It should have a bit of sticky quality. You might want to beat your potatoes just a little more than usual; in this case, a little bit gluey is good; just don’t overdo that, either; just beat until they are a little sticky.

Instant Potatoes:

• Instant is not the best to use to make the fritters. I suppose you could try it in a pinch but I’m not a great fan.
• If you are working with a mashed potato that is very soft, an easy fix is to add some instant potato flakes.

Frying:

• Make sure to fry these slowly because they’re kind of large and you need a little time for the center to get melty before the outside is too dark. 325 degrees F. works great.
• Gently drop the fritters in but don’t touch them right at first; give the breading minute or two to solidify before you move them around or nudge them.

Corned Beef Fritters

Storing and Reheating Corned Beef Fritters:

Like any fried food, it is at its best fresh out of the fryer with a minute or two to cool from molten hot.

• If you do have leftovers, put in the fridge uncovered and cover once they are cold. That helps to prevent excess condensation. Reheat in the oven at 400 degrees F. until warmed through.
• If you have an air fryer it will do a great job of reheating. Disclaimer: I have not made these fritters in the air fryer. Let me know how it works for you if you do!

Any breaded item like this usually can be partially fried until just a very light brown and the breading is solidified, then cooled to room temperature and frozen. Once frozen, place into a ziploc bag. To use, place on a tray in a preheated oven (400 to 425 degrees F. is usually good and bake, turning as necessary.

Below is my Instant Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner.

Instant Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage

Naming These:

I thought maybe I’d call these Corned Beef Balls, then I thought for a half a minute about the unfortunate name of Leprauchan Balls which made me laugh because I have a sick sense of humor. Just sick.

These really were the bomb! Which led me to speculate on other names. I thought about Corned Beef Bombs or Reuben Bombs but then nixed the whole bomb thing because I thought it was too close to the Irish Car Bomb Cocktail or Cupcakes.

My humor can be a little naughty, but it’s never mean. So if I might go on a rant, that name is insulting and I fail to see the humor in anything called car bombs. Maybe it is because I remember the troubles: when violence, including car bombings, was going on in Ireland.  And don’t get me going on anything named crack…

Saving Money on Corned Beef Fritters:

I’m actually laughing inside as I type this up  bcause I’ve been known to say that I’m so frugal that even my leftovers have leftovers and Corned Beef Fritters are a perfect example! I dont think anyone in a million years would guess these were made from lowly leftovers, though!

You simply cannot go wrong making this recipe to use a bit of your leftover corned beef dinner – especially if you pair it with a Guiness. Enjoy!

Mollie

Corned Beef Fritters

corned beef fritters

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• Author: mollie kirby
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: varies
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 10 fritters 1x
• Category: Appetizer

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped chives (optional)
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley (optional)
• about 3 cups cold, leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup finely diced corned beef
• 1/4 cup well-drained and chopped sauerkraut
• 3 tablespoons softened cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or other mustard of choice)
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for frying
• Thousand Island Dressing for serving

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Instructions

Prepare breading station. In one bowl, place the flour and season with salt and pepper if desired. In another, place two eggs and thin with about two tablespoons of water. In the third bowl, add about 2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper, add herbs if using, and mix.

For the filling, mix together the cheese, corned beef, sauerkraut, cream cheese, mustard, honey, and salt and pepper as desired. Taste and adjust flavoring to your liking.

Take heaping 1/3 cup of the mashed potatoes (a scoop works well for this) and place in your palm. Using your other hand, make a well in the potatoes and spoon in about a good, heaping teaspoon of the filling mixture. Close the potato over the filling, turning the ball around and smoothing out any cracks.

Place ball into the flour mixture. Make several balls in the same manner and place them into the flour as well. Working with one ball at a time, roll in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs and set aside. Repeat until all the potato mixture is gone.

When ready to cook, heat enough oil to come up to a depth of about 4 inches in a deep pan to about 325 degrees. Working with two or three balls at a time, drop the balls in the oil, stirring around a bit, and heat until the crust is nicely browned. When frying foods, they will continue to darken when removed from the oil.

Set aside on a rack to drain and cool for two to three minutes before serving with Thousand Island Dressing.

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I’ll be bringing this recipe to Angie’s Fiesta Friday, hosted this week by the incomparable Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook. Do stop by and take a peek at all the bloggers linking up their best creations.

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