Delicious nuggets of potato cheesy love! They are obviously saying devour me!
The Super Bowl is getting so close that us Denver Bronco fanatics can almost taste it. I bet you would like to taste one of these Cheesy Potato Bites. They are a must make for your Super Bowl party!
I had a funny conversation with a friend the other night while contemplating life, solving the world’s problems and deciding that these two weeks prior to the Super Bowl have been kinda like vacation mode in Denver. No one can concentrate and it seems that the work “attire” has been anything Orange and Blue. We have all had short timers disease and not a whole lot is getting done around here! I ran into a CEO friend that works for a major corporation the other day, he was wearing his Payton Manning jersey to work. I laughed and said how can you get away with that? His response was “when in Rome, I can’t stop the employees from wearing them, so I might as well too”! That is true dedication, I’d say!
While I was finalizing the perfect Super Bowl food bounty, I needed one more calorie bomb, so these Cheesy Potato Bites were born and boy am I glad! So good and cheesy, warm and comforting. Also, the Cheesy Potato Bites can be made ahead and pop them in the oven before serving. Funny story, after taking these pictures (thank god I got a good one), I stepped out to get the mail, when I came back in two minutes later, the Cheesy Potato Bites had been counter surfed by my dog Charlie. Every single one of them.
So now I can say, Cheesy Potato Bites, “Charlie tested and Charlie approved”! LOL! Make these for your party. It’s good to be a hero. GO BRONCO’S!!!
- 1 1/2 pounds mini potatoes ( I have made with both yellow and red ones)
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tbs sour cream
- 2 tbs milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 cup shredded cheese ( I used Monterrey Jack)
- 2 slices of cooked bacon crumbled/chopped small
- 2 tbs chopped fresh chives (cut up some extra for garnish)
- Olive oil
- Fill a sauce pan large enough to hold potatoes with water and boil until fork tender. 12-15 minutes. Drain and cool.
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a small baking dish (I used an 8″x 8″ pan)
- [br][b]To Prepare Potatoes[/b][br]
- Slice off the top of the potatoes with a paring knife and scoop out some of the inside of the potato with a small melon baller or a teaspoon measuring device. Leaving enough room to keep the integrity of the potato. (See picture below). Once they are scooped out, slice a tiny part of the bottom of the potato so that it will stand straight in the pan. Reserve insides of potatoes and the tops to make filling.
- [br][b]To Prepare The Filling[/b][br]
- In a sauce pan, melt butter and then add garlic cooking for one minute until soft.
- Add reserved potatoes, sour cream, milk, cheese and salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes are soft enough to mash and the cheese has melted.
- Remove from heat and with an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth. You can also transfer to a regular blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Stir in bacon and chives.
- [br][b]To Fill Potatoes[/b][br]
- Place prepared potatoes in baking dish.
- Transfer potato mixture to a large zip lock bag (see picture) and cut a small end off the bag. Fill each potato with the filling. (I had some extra filling).
- Drizzle olive oil on top of potatoes and place in pre-heated oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until tops of the potatoes have browned.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Examples of what scooped out potatoes and mixture in the piping bag!