Potato Smiley Recipe

Last Updated On: Jan 26, 2022 by Aarthi

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Potato Smiley or McCain Smiley with step by step pictures. Delicious crispy potato smiles which is tasty and easy to make.

Potato Smiley

I can see a smile in your face when you see this recipe. That's what i want..One of my reader send me a request to share this recipe and bless her, because of her i tried it and sharing it today. I totally enjoyed making this and loved the way how it turned out too..Can you imagine the reaction when you make this and show to your kids or kid like hubby or even any of your loved ones. It is truly remarkable.

About Potato Smiley

Potato Smiles are tasty treats composed of mashed potatoes that have been seasoned and moulded into smiling faces to brighten up your day. McCain Foods is the world's largest manufacturer of Potato smiles and frozen potato products. Keep the flame on medium andstir occasionally while frying until golden brown. Finally, toss potato Smiles or potato smiley with tomato sauce or eggless mayonnaise and serve.

This recipe is inspired from Mccain smiles. I have never tasted them, but i have seen them in TV commercials. I used to think how would they have done this. But never imagined trying it at home. i even thought you need expensive machines to make this. I am sure the mccain factory would have that.

But making this at home is never that hard at all and you dont need expensive machines too, you just need a straw and a spoon. I hope you will give this a try and let me know how it turns out for you.

Ingredients for Homemade Potato Smiley Recipe

Potato :

Begin by cooking the potatoes in cold water to ensure that they cook evenly. If you start with hot or boiling water, the potatoes; outsides will cook and soften while the insides will remain hard and crunchy.

Cheese :

Fryable cheeses are those with a high melting point. While the cheese will slightly melt in the fryer or skillet, it will normally keep its shape.

Oregano :

Although oregano may appear strange at first, frying accomplishes two crucial goals: it allows the tastes of both ingredients to bloom, meaning the heat of the oil brings out and amplifies their qualities. It also makes them crispy, which gives the finished meal a beautiful texture.

Table of Contents

📖 Recipe Card

Potato Smiley with Step by Step pictures

Take all your ingredients

Peel some cooked potatoes

grate them into a bowl

this makes them smooth than mashing them

add salt

and some chilli powder, you can skip this or
add pepper powder

add a touch of oregano

and some grated cheese, you can use cheddar
or any cheese, i used parmesan

Mix them really well

sprinkle some corn flour over this

knead it to soft dough

i put this dough in the fridge for 30 mins to 1 hour

now divide it into small portion

shape them into smooth balls

take a ball

flatten it into disc

do it for all dough

now use a straw to make eyes

ta da..

Now for the smiles, you are gonna use spoons

just like this..

you can shake the spoon lightly to create a perfect smiles

Look how beautiful it looks

Now heat oil for deep frying

take the smiles and drop in hot oil with a
smile in your faces

fry this till crispy

drain and serve

taste great with ketchup

« Leftover Mashed Potato Cakes

Corn Cheese Balls Recipe »

About Aarthi

Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours!

Comments

Evangeline Kanimozhi

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Very Very Interesting and tasty recipe..

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Divya

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Omg.. Thanks a Lott Aarthi
This is the what m looking for..
My daughter loves itt.
Thank u so much Aarthi

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Anonymous

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Wow lovely rcp... Thanks Aarthi.. Ur all rcp are awesm... No words...

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Divya

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Where is it in Recipe index
Plz tell me Aarthi

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Anonymous

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I want to try immediately. Can't wait for long.

Thanks Aarthi
Vasantha

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saba

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thx dear thx a lot I'm thinking frm a long time to make smiley at home bt didn't knew d recip bt now I knew d recipe will try soon thx once again

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sam mjee

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U r a rockstar... (Y)

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Eleonora Gambon

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Beautiful!

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Anonymous

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You have a very nice collection of recipes. The pictorial part makes it interesting.

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Shafee Nazrin

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Superb....

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- P
  
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  Can these be frozen? If so, at what pont di you freeze and how do you cook them from frozen?
  
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  - Aarthi
    
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    once they are shaped you can lay them between parchment paper and freeze them. You can fry them directly from frozen.
    
    Reply
Anonymous

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Thanks Arti for the lovely recipe will try for my kiddo one question can we make these smilies and freez and store them for long. Thanks again

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AK

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Superb! So quick and easy. Thank you.

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chitra

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good work aarthi.really really nice and intresting

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Anonymous

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Excellent

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Anonymous

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Excellent

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Anonymous

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Wow arthy nice work

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Aarthi

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@Anonymousmake them but dont fry. Freeze them in tray and once frozen collect all of them in a ziploc bag or a container and freeze. You can fry them directly from frozen stage.

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yawanika

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You were right!!!! The post definitely made me smile the moment I saw it.

Very interesting recipe...will surely try it shortly and let you know how it came by.

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Anonymous

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Nice explanation with images

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kalpana

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Amazing nd ausom recipe

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Suji Sasi

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Simply superb. ...definitely trying this soon. .thnx for sharing the recipe. ..

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Meira

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You make it so simple. . Loved it.!

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Anonymous

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Hi aarthi can I make this in large quantity and freeze it ?

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Anonymous

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Can we do this with sweet potato?

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lijihivy

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Hey this recipe definitely broght a smile! Tell me can we use paneer...or is it fine to totally skip the cheese.

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Aarthi

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@Anonymousmake them but dont fry. Freeze them in tray and once frozen collect all of them in a ziploc bag or a container and freeze. You can fry them directly from frozen stage.

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Aarthi

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@Anonymousnot sure about sweet potatoes.I think they will burn because of the sweetness.

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Aarthi

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@lijihivyU can skip cheese.

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கீதா லட்சுமி

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WoWWWww.. that looks so devine..yummm 🙂 🙂 🙂

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Anonymous

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The Smileys look so cute. Thank u for the homemade version. Can u say where u got the parmesan cheese in nagercoil & how many days can I store the unfried smileys in the freezer?

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Aarthi

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@Anonymous hubby got parmesan cheese from russian. i have never found it in nagercoil.

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Aarthi

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@Russia

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Anonymous

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You are simply superb.... (y)

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Anonymous

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Wow!!! Superb

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Ani Paul

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Good one for bday parties

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anusha rajesh

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Aarthi u r great... Never thought v c an make this at home.... Gr8...

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Gcp Priya

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Can I use cheddar cheese instead

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Aarthi

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@Gcp Priyayes u can use cheddar

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Urooj Khan

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I made this today. Everything was going great up until I dropped them in the oil. They started to spread, what did I do wrong?

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Aarthi

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@Urooj Khanadd more cornflour.Or the oil temp is too low drop it hot oil.

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sudha

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Superb.u r correct. Smiles on our faces. No words to say.
Beautiful smileys. U r really gr8.

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aarthimurali

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Can we use mozzarella cheese

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Aarthi

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@aarthimuraliyes u can use any cheese

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Anonymous

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Thanks for your yummy recipes! I followed you recipe to make these smileys though instead of frying I baked them in oven at 375 f for 20 to 30 minutes. They came out really good.

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Anonymous

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Tried few recipes of yours which came out really well. Made these smiles for my kid and hubby yesterday and it came out really well. :-). Thanks for the recipe.

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TiniLin

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Can this dough kept in open container or closed container

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Aarthi

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@TiniLinkeep this in a closed container

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Anonymous

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I made these for my daughter on her birthday. She loved them. Thanks for the recipe.

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Anonymous

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If u dont have corn flour what to do

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Aarthi

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@Anonymouscornflour is what has to be added. other flour wont give the proper results

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Anonymous

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Thanks Aarthi... I ve just made it and it came out very well. My daughter is loving it 🙂

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shylu jaichandran

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It's really yummu😃😃😃

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swarna santosh

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Can I use mozzarella cheese ??

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Aarthi

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@swarna santoshyes u can use

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Elssa Geevarghese

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Hi, Thanks for the recipe. But can we bake this instead of frying? If so at what temperature.

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Aarthi

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@Elssa Geevargheseyes u can bake i hope..bake it at 180 degree for 15 to 20 mins

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Anonymous

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I used 3 potatoes. Boiled. Grated. Added salt n chilly powder mixed well. Then corn flour upto 10 big spoons(120gms). Mixed. Kept in fridge for 45 mins. Made small smileys. When fried in oil. They turned out to be nightmare. Ew!! It's a wonderful recipe but I wana know what went wrong. Plz help. Aarthi..

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Aarthi

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@Anonymousi think u must have added too much cornflour, what problem did u face

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Anonymous

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Nice receipe 🙂

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Anonymous

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Vry nice ..mazza aa gya ..
It really looks yummy
🙂

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Anonymous

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WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW AMAAAAZING!!!!!! tried them they came out soo good

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Anonymous

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My kids liked them. Thank you for the recipe.

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Anonymous

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Hi arthi...Can I use amul cheese?

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Aarthi

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@Anonymousyes u can use

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Anonymous

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Hi A art hi. .. I am new viewer. All your recipes are really good.. you are rocking dear. I love your recipes it's very different and tasty. I will make this for my lovely daughter. Thanks my dear.

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Najma Veeran

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Hi, i tried this recipe. But my dough is sticky, dont know what to do, do i have to add more cornflour to make it less sticky. Please help..

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Najma Veeran

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Hi, i tried this recipe. My dough is sticky, dont knw what went wrong, do i have to add more cornflour. Please help. I have kept the dough in fridge, is it ok to add the additional cornflour just before frying. Please help

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Aarthi

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@Najma Veeranyes add little cornflour and keep it in fridge.

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Sobiya Asad

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Very nice and seems yummy to my little man.. pls let me know whether i can freeze them for a long time and fry whenever i want??

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Aarthi

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@Sobiya Asad yes u can freeze them in foil lined tray till frozen, then collect them in a ziploc bag or a container and store in freezer. Fry them directly from their frozen stage.

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Anonymous

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If we will not use oregano than it will become perfect or not ...because here it is not getting ..so thats way I'm not using oregano in the this recipe.. It will be OK or not plz say....

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Aarthi

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@Anonymousyes u can skip oregano.

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Anonymous

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Aarthi can I use mozzarella pizza cheese...?

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Aarthi

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@Anonymousyes u can use

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slkkitchen

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Thank you so much for this recipe.
Look at how it turned out...
https://sumikitchen.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/potato-smileys/

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Neha Bansal

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Hi Aarthi,can you let me know the method of freezing them. I made them and without frying put them in freezer in steel plate. However even after few hours the smilyes were moist. I want to make them and store for future use. Please help

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Aarthi

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@Neha Bansaljust place them in a parchment lined tray and freeze till solid. then collect them in a ziploc bag or container

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Maha

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Hello Arthi. Your recipes are really awesome. Most of yr recipes come out very well at first shot. And thats all because of the pictorial representation u give. But this one i had an issue. I couldn't make it into a dough. I tried adding a few drops of water too. No help. However managed to bring to shape but the output was excellent. Appreciate your tips.

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Aarthi

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@Mahais it too dry, then i think u must have added too much cornflour, or potatoes were not cooked enough.

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Maha

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You are right. It was dry. I think i added corn flour more than enough. Will try less next time. Thank you.

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vishal

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Hi arthi...I tried this recipe ..as soon as I fried it oil it got seperated n gooey..it absorbed more oil n went out of shape.my dough was little sticky before keping in fridge.how to rectify it?

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Aarthi

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@vishalmake a stiff dough. add more cornflour as needed.

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Ravinder kaur

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Hi Aarthi ..Its really good recipe...i just wanna know i'm using mozrella cheese bt can i increase its quantity i mean can i use half cup instead of 2 tablespoons with one one potato..As she really love cheese. Hope it will not hamper the recipe

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Aarthi

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@Ravinder kaurno if u increase the cheese quantity it will affect the texture of the smiley when u fry them

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Theresa Monteiro

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Hi Aarthi, just few hours ago when my kiddo watched Mccain' s smiley add, his next question was that if I could get him that packet. And just then I happened to view this recipe. Really u r an angel in disguise. Will be definitely trying this recipe soon and will let you know the outcome. Bless you.

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Rincy Madaan

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I want to make them and freeze them for Diwali potlucks. How do I freeze them? I mean to ask if I need to separate the smileys or I can just put all of them together. Also When I am ready to serve, do I need to fry again or I can use bake them little bit. Any thoughts? I am try them today. Thanks for your recipe.- Rincy Madaan

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Aarthi

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@Rincy MadaanMake these..Place it in a tray and freeze till it is frozen..then collect them in a freezer safe container. and freeze it...You can fry straight from frozen.

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JAINITA DALAL SHETH

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Hey Aarti the receipe is too good but we being jain cannot eat potatoes. will this give good taste i we try with raw bananas instead.

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Swati

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Hello Aarthi,

I tried this potato smileys recipe. It is so simple, hassle free. Smileys came out so well. They were much tastier than the ready made ones.

Thanks a lot.
Cheers,
Swati

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Mumtaz begum

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Shall I skip cheese??

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Aarthi

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@Mumtaz begumyes u can skip the cheese

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Jai

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Hi Aarthi.. I tried this one for my son who's 2 yr old. He really liked this. Thanks. But the Smiley's started splitting when I dropped inside the oil. What could be wrong?

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Aarthi

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@Jaiadd more cornflour to the dough

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Anonymous

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hi aarthi,
my dough is whether i should add cornflour or potato?
because i already added 4tbsp corn flour. if potato is over cooked then will it leaches more water so the dough will sticky??

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Aarthi

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@Anonymousu can keep the potatoes in fridge for few hours will make the potatoes goes little dry

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abi abinaya

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Hi Aarthi,
I am planning to make it for my daughter's bday party.
If i make it in the evening how long will it stay fresh?
Or how can i store it to keep it crispy till the party finished...
Thanks in advance...

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Aarthi

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@abi abinayanot sure..you can keep them warm in oven may be

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Anonymous

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Hi...
Do u have someother blog or website...
I found the same recipe with same photos in another site...
I think somebody is copy-pasting ur recipes

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Aarthi

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@Anonymouscan u send the link

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Anonymous

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Hi...
This is the link
http://keekies.blogspot.in/2015/01/homemade-potato-smiley-recipe-potato.html?m=1

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Carolyn

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I would have those while watching movies

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Anonymous

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Just made these WOW ! they are amazing . Thank you . I used 300g of cold mashed potato salt and pepper ( a pinch of each ) a sprinkle of paprika and 3 level table spoons of cornstarch . I deep fried them and they drained beautifully not greasy . Thank's again I am going to surprise my kids with them as a snack when they get home from school .

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Jason

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Hello Aarthi,
This post is very nice. The smiley potato looks very yummy. I can't wait to eat this. Thank you very much to share the ingredients and making photos.

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Anonymous

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Hi Aarthi, I tried these Smileys, all was good till I fried them. When I put the Smileys for fry it all got scattered, no more shape left and out out like a paste or halwa 🙁
I want my Smiley's to b perfect like urs. Please suggest where I would hv gone wrong. I followed the above steps..

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- Aarthi
  
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  add more cornflour then and knead it well
  
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- megha krishna
  
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  After adding some more corn flour should it be refrigerated again ?
  
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Anonymous

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i too made them today and thy split in oil.. i think there must be lesser cheese and more potato..

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Ansiya Ayub

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Sooooo nice!!!!

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Unknown

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Can we prepare the dough and refrigerate to use it
Next day

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shefali unahariya

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They look delicious and sound easy am sure gonna try them soon... But need to know one thing if we can prepare the dough and refrigerate overnight to use next morning

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Prabhavathi Parthiban

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Can we pack this for kids snacks box??
Wont it become soggy after packed?

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- Aarthi
  
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  it will get a little soggy since it is deep fried
  
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megha krishna

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Hi...thanks for such a tasty recipe 🙂
But it dint turn out perfect for me...first smiley came out well...but after the first one all the smiley i dropped into oil started to spread away...can u point out where i went wrong

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- Aarthi
  
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  add more cornflour and put it in fridge.
  
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- Tiffany anu
  
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  Even I got like that those got spreaded... I love it really u made it yummy arthi...
  
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Unknown

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Hey i tried this today like you said...all was fine but after i fried them they taste very mushy inside and kind of soggy its not crispy outside

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Pratiksha Bera

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I tried it.. once i put it in oil it all got spread.. dunno where i went wrong.. added cornflour again.. still separated

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- Aarthi
  
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  add more cornflour and knead well. chill in fridge before frying. fry in hot oil
  
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Siri

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Hi Aarthi.I was actually searching for this recipe without breadcrumbs (becoz i was not having them at that moment)This recipe did really bring joy on my kids face.Tried this recipe yesterday which turned out to be really perfect..Not sure whereI went which made the dough sticky even after adding corn flour also so have added little rice flour to balance which really gave a crisp taste..whenever I want to try a new recipe I will refer your blog..Thanks again for your yummy recipe.. 🙂

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4 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Potato Smiley Recipe

Potato Smiley

About Potato Smiley

Ingredients for Homemade Potato Smiley Recipe

📖 Recipe Card