Quesadillas Fritas de Papa (Fried Masa Potato and Cheese Half-Moons)

Name: Quesadillas Fritas de Papa (Fried Masa Potato and Cheese Half-Moons)
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 300g masa harina, the corn flour used for tortillas; 330ml warm water; 0.5 tsp fine salt; 350g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks; 1 tbsp sunflower oil; 0.5 white onion, finely chopped; 1 green chilli, finely chopped; 100g grated vegetarian mozzarella; 10g fresh coriander, chopped; 200ml sunflower oil, for frying

Corn dough pockets filled with soft potato and stretchy cheese, fried until crisp and bubbled. A market stall classic.

Time1 hr 10
LevelMedium
Costabout £0.61 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

4 quesadillas

Ingredients

Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.

300 gmasa harinathe corn flour used for tortillas
330 mlwarm water
½ tspfine salt
350 gfloury potatoespeeled and cut into chunks
1 tbspsunflower oil
½white onionfinely chopped
1green chillifinely chopped
100 ggrated vegetarian mozzarella
10 gfresh corianderchopped
200 mlsunflower oilfor frying

Method

1
Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes until soft. Drain and mash roughly.
15 min
2
Fry the onion and chilli in 1 tbsp oil for 5 minutes until soft. Mix into the potato with the mozzarella and coriander. Season well and cool a little.
5 min
3
Mix the masa harina, salt and warm water to a soft dough that does not crack when pressed. Rest it for 10 minutes.
10 min
4
Divide into eight balls. Press each into a 12 cm round between two sheets of cling film or a split freezer bag.
5
Put a heaped spoonful of filling on one half, fold over and press the edges firmly to seal.
6
Heat the frying oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the quesadillas 2 or 3 at a time for 3 minutes per side, until golden and puffed.
6 min
7
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with your favourite salsa.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.