Stuffed New Potatoes

Stuffed New Potatoes... I thought I would share with you a quick version of "stuffed potatoes" that can easily double up as an appetizer or a side dish. They look cute, too! Oh, I am sure there are many versions out there, but I am just showing you the idea. I tend to like small bites...such as tapas, hors d'oeuvres, etc. And, every so often I like to do something different with potatoes. I think these potatoes are great, especially when you don't want to eat a whole big stuffed potato. It really makes a nice presentation as well. You can get creative and make all sorts of fillings.

I went to my natural foods store, here in town, and picked out a few new potatoes that were small enough to make them as appetizers. I picked the most round, unspotted potatoes I could find. This way I could buy however many I needed, and they would all be equal in size( or close to it anyway). At first, I had wanted to pipe some chive flavored goat cheese. I thought it would look elegant. Then as I was making them, I decided that I should use the inside of the potato as well(what was I going to do with that?..). So, I changed my plan:). I began looking in my fridge for other ingredients and came up with my own filling. Feel free to make your own kind of filling, with ingredients you have on hand. Or, don't use the inside of the potato and just pipe some soft flavored cheese(like I was supposed to:)...I think it would look even more elegant). This post is more of a suggestion than a specific recipe. I just think they look really nice... and thought you might also enjoy it. They are great as an appetizer, as a side dish or as a main dish next to some fresh salad. I will list some ingredients for the filling, but remember that amounts are to taste. Use what you like and have on hand. Hope you enjoy....

You will need:

new potatoes, small

Filling ideas: use any or some of the fillings

chopped ham

shredded cheese

goat cheese,

cream cheese

feta cheese

roasted peppers

sundried tomatoes

sour cream

chives/green onion

parsley

cilantro

salt/pepper to taste

paprika/chipotle powder

Directions:

Place potatoes in salted water and cook till fork tender(20-30 minutes?).

Run under cold water.

Cut in half carefully...you don't want to break the potato skins.

Using a round melon baller (or a teaspoon measurement, as in my case) scoop out inside of the potato.

Place the scooped out potato in a separate bowl. Add any of the filling ingredients you choose. Or, if you like, just pipe some soft flavored cheese...boursin, chive flavored cream cheese, alouette, etc.

Mix completely and fill the potatoes. You can top with some extra shredded cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven(425) till cheese is melted and filling is hot. Sprinkle with some paprika and parsley or cilantro. Serve warm.