More French Fry Alternatives

One of my favorite alternatives to French fries uses mashed potatoes. I always have some instant potatoes in the house but I rarely have regular potatoes in the house. Usually they're the cheapest by the bag and I just can't go through pounds of potatoes by myself. I've tried to make fried mashed potato balls several times and the first few times it was an utter disaster. If making these was a job I'd practically need employment practices liability insurance. However, every time I see one of the images on Pinterest I'm inspired to try it again. While I used less oil and mine didn't come out looking exactly like the picture this recipes seemed to work the best out of any that I've tried. It takes comfort food to a whole new level.