If you are looking for a cute little appetizer for your dinner party, or a fun way to serve finger food at a gathering, these mini stuffed potatoes are a definite winner. The pesto adds a layer of flavour to the regular cheese stuffed potato, but don’t worry we kept the cheesy goodness too!
Ingredients for Pesto Stuffed Potato Bites
- Mini Potatoes – We love using the Little Potato Company
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Pesto – pre-made or make your own
- Cream Cheese
- Grated Cheese – Any type works, we used a blend of white and orange cheddar.
Substitutions for Potato Bites
Mini Potatoes – Use anything from mini to baby potatoes. It will just increase the cooking time the bigger the potato, and be less of a finger food.
Pesto – Use your favourite type of pesto, basil is the regular, but you can try making your own, like this tarragon cashew pesto we used, or a sun-dried tomato.
Grated Cheese – Use a mixture of different types, even a jalapeño cheddar might be amazing!
How to Make Mini Potato Pesto Bites
Always pre-heat your oven when baking, it saves quite a bit of time in the kitchen waiting around, and your oven should be hot by the time you are ready to use it!
In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, olive oil, 2 large pinches of salt. Make sure all of the potatoes are coated well, then roll out onto a baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes, you want the potatoes cooked through. To check, stick a fork in them and if it slides in easily the potatoes are ready.
Let the potatoes cool completely or until you can handle them in your hands without burning. Cut each potato in half, then cut a small sliver off the bottom of each potato, so when you put the finished product on a platter, they stand up and don’t fall over.
Using a melon baller, or a 1/8tsp (depending on how big your potatoes are) scoop out the middle of each potato, being careful not to go right through, and not breaking open the whole thing. Place potato middles in a bowl.
Mix the cream cheese, pesto, and grated cheese into the potato middles, taste and season according to your taste. Scoop about a 1/2 tsp or less (depending on the size of your potatoes) back into the potato bowls. There should be a rounded top on each potato of filling, almost spilling out of the top.
Bake potatoes again for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese has browned on the top making a crispy top. If you want an even cheesier, crispier top, add more grated cheese on top and broil on low for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Mini Potato Pesto Bites
Ingredients
- 20 Mini Potatoes
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Pesto, pre-made or make your own any flavour
- 3 Tbsp Cream Cheese
- 1/4 cup Grated Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a bowl, toss whole potatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper, then place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Let Cool, until ready to handle, then cut each potato in half, and cut a small slice from the bottom so they stand on their own.
- Scoop out the middle of each potato, delicate not to break through them, and place potato middle into a mixing bowl.
- Mix in cream cheese, pesto, cheese and season to taste.
- Fill each potato with filling until it is just above the top of the cut potato.
- Bake potatoes again for 10 to 15 minutes, until light brown on the top.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 939Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 278mgCarbohydrates: 184gFiber: 19gSugar: 11gProtein: 25g
We are not certified nutritionists and make no claims to be so. The nutritional information given here is intended for informational purposes only. These nutritional calculations are rounded numbers dependant on the certain ingredients and amounts in the recipe and are by no means perfect.
