Loaded Baked Potato Balls

Left over mashed potatoes if you have them. They need to be thick and stiff, not watery.

I had none, so I used 4 russet potatoes….and wow! That is a LOT!

I also used 3 Tbsp butter, a splash of milk (maybe 1/2 cup), salt and pepper

Cheddar/mozzarella blend string cheese

small bag of real bacon bits

feel free to used real bacon or even crumbled turkey bacon, but I wanted to make this as easy as possible.

Chopped chives

Panko bread crumbs – they are much lighter and crunchier than regular bread crumbs

Canola oil for frying

Whatever dipping sauce you want (sour cream, salsa, salsa verde, maybe even ranch dressing)