Papa Relleno de Bacalao

There is nothing better than a hot Papa Relleno on a cold Autumn or Winters day. Actually, I know many people who would eat them year round, scorching hot summer days included. Yes, they're that good!
Papa Rellenos are fried balls of lightly seasoned mashed potatoes stuffed with seasoned ground beef (Carne Molido or Picadillo). Growing up I've seen them as big as baseballs, but I like to make them small and serve them as appetizers.
In this recipe, I opted to use stewed codfish that I would usually serve with hot Jasmine rice, instead of the usual ground beef. The codfish stewed with herbs and bits of pumpkin (Calabaza) go beautifully with the delicate mashed potatoes and the crunch of the crispy exterior.
Comfort food at its finest.

Papa Relleno de Bacalao

1 pkg. Boneless Salted Codfish
12 peeled and diced Russet Potatoes
1 cup Instant Mashed Potatoes
2 1/2 teaspoons Homemade Adobo (see recipes)
4 tablespoons Achiote Oil (see recipes)
1 1/2 cups fresh Sofrito
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
1/2 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley
1 cup diced West Indian Pumpkin (Calabaza)
3 Scallions thinly sliced
3 tablespoons Evaporated Milk
4 Eggs beaten
4 Eggs beaten + 1/2 cup milk (for dredging)
2 cups Plain Breadcrumbs (for dredging)
1 cup Tapioca Starch or Flour (for dredging)
Oil to fry

Have 2 large sheet pans ready, 1 lined in wax paper and 1 lined in paper (newspaper or paper bags do fine).
Remove Codfish from its packaging and rinse the salt off with cold water. Soak the fish in a covered bowl of cold water in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain and boil the fish in a pot on medium high for 20 minutes. Set aside until cooled.
Boil the prepared potatoes for 20-30 minutes or until a fork slides right through a piece. Drain and while its still very hot, add the instant mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup sofrito, 2 tablespoons achiote oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons adobo, and the 3 tablespoons milk. Mash and mix well. Set aside and let it cool until it's room temperature. Place in the refrigerator to get cold.
Drain and flake the fish with a fork. In a saute pan, add the remaining achiote oil and saute the remaining sofrito, adobo and tomato paste. Add the pumpkin and the flaked fish, saute 5 minutes and add 1 cup of water to the mixture. Simmer on medium heat until the liquid reduces to a sauce and the pumpkin pieces are soft. Remove from heat and add the remaining herbs and scallions while the mixture is still hot. Let this cool to room temperature and place in the refrigerator to get cold.
This "cooling" time not only allows me to handle the mixture better, but it also gives me some time to straighten out my kitchen.
Now create your dredging work station. Have a separate bowl of each ready: starch or flour, 4 beaten eggs + 1/2 cup milk and breadcrumbs. Set them in front of you in that order.
Retrieve the potato and fish mixture bowls from the refrigerator. Add the other 4 beaten eggs to the cold potato mixture.
This is the messy but fun part. With WET hands, form lime-size balls with the potato mixture and press an indentation with your fingers into the middle. Fill the indentation with the fish mixture. Work it back into a ball with your wet hands and roll in the starch or flour completely. Shake off the excess flour then dip the ball in the egg mixture. Lastly, roll it in the breadcrumbs. Shake off the excess crumbs and place the ball on the sheet pan lined with wax paper. Repeat until all of the mixture is finished. Refrigerate until ready to fry.
Heat a deep frying pan or pot on medium high. Add the oil and when the oil is hot enough (insert wooden spoon and watch for dancing bubbles) gently lower a ball on a slotted spoon or kitchen spider into the hot oil. Add only enough in the pot at once so as not to touch while frying. Fry until golden brown and drain on the paper lined sheet pan.
Serve hot with Chimichurri dipping sauce or fresh Sofrito and a dollop of Sour Cream.