Potato Cheese Puffs

Ingredients

• About 1 C. leftover refrigerated mashed potatoes (you want them cold so they are somewhat firm)
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1/2 C. Milk
• 1/4 Tsp. Baking powder
• 1/2 C. all purpose Flour
• 2 C. shredded cheddar cheese or cheese of your liking
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 clove garlic minced or crushed
• Salt and pepper to your liking
• 1 Tbls. chopped fresh basil (or parsley)
• about 2" of oil in a frying pan or deep fryer

Directions

1. Mix together all of the ingredients except the cheese. If it's too loose, add a little more flour. You want it thicker than a pancake batter, so you can drop spoonfuls into the oil without it flattening too much.
2. Now mix in the cheese and blend throroughly
3. Add the fresh chopped basil or whatever herb you are using and mix it in.
4. Heat your oil to 375 degrees. When ready, drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the oil carefully.
5. You can use two spoons, one to hold the batter and the other to push it off and sort of "fold" it over as it goes into the oil.
6. Don't overcrowd the pan. You want room to turn them over as they brown.
7. When the bottom is good and browned, gently turn them over using a spider strainer or a fork. You may have to loosen them from the bottom a bit while cooking if they start to stick. You can use a fork and gently go under them to loosen them up.
8. When they get browned enough, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain off the excess oil.