Gluten-Free Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients:

• 12 whole milk mozzarella sticks (can use part-skim if you like)
• 1 4-ounce packet dehydrated Idaho® potatoes, any flavor
• 2 large eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
• Marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Cut each mozzarella stick in half so you have 24 pieces. Set aside.
2. Place a cooling rack over a half sheet pan and set aside.
3. Place the packet of dehydrated potatoes in a small dish or in a pie pan.
4. Crack the eggs into another dish or pie pan and whisk together with a pinch of salt.   
5. Working with 3-4 mozzarella sticks at a time, dip them in the egg mixture, making sure they are well coated. Allow the excess to drip off for a few seconds, and then place in the dehydrated potatoes.
6. Roll the mozzarella sticks firmly in the potatoes, making sure to coat them completely, including the ends.
7. Place on the cooling rack to set up.
8. Once you have dipped and rolled all the mozzarella sticks, repeat the process again. This is to ensure you have a nice coating of potato that will be crisp and crunchy when fried while minimizing the chances of the cheese oozing out during frying.
9. Place the tray of mozzarella sticks in the freezer for 30-45 minutes.
10. Heat the oil to 350°F.
11. When the oil comes to temperature, fry in batches of 4-5 at a time until crispy and golden brown, about 4 minutes, making sure to turn them in the oil so they fry evenly.
12. Place the fried sticks back on the cooling rack.
13. In between batches, skim off any crispy potato bits that might be floating in the oil so they don’t burn.
14. Continue frying in batches until all are done.
15. Allow to cool for a minute or two before serving with your favorite marinara sauce for dipping.

Notes:

Tips:

• To serve all 24 at once, keep your first batches warm on a tray in a 200°F toaster oven or oven.
• To fry later, you can place the double-coated mozzarella sticks in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks before frying. In that case, fry from frozen with the oil at 325°F rather than 350°F. This will ensure the centers are nice and melty without risking burning the outsides.
• Switch up the flavors by using your favorite flavor of Idaho® dehydrated potatoes. You won’t need to season them because they are already perfectly seasoned. All you need is just a dash of salt in your egg mixture!
• All flavors of Idaho® dehydrated potatoes are gluten-free, so if you’re gluten-free and have been missing mozzarella sticks, your ship has come in!

NOTE: In my testing a few of the mozzarella sticks did leak a tiny bit of cheese, but it in no way diminished our enjoyment of them!