Potato Appetizer Ideas

• potato skin image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com

  Potato appetizers can be both affordable and delicious. From potato skins to an elegant stuffed baby red potato, there are lots of ways to turn the simple spud into an appealing appetizer.

Potato Skins

• Pierce whole potatoes with a fork and bake in a standard oven or microwave oven until tender. When the potatoes are cool enough, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out some of the insides to make a shell. Fill a frying pan with vegetable or canola oil, about ¼-inch deep. Fry the potato skins until they start to get crispy. Remove the skins from the oil with a slotted spoon. Mix the scooped insides of the potatoes with cheese and fill the fried potato shells. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the top with crisped pieces of bacon. Put the filled potato skins under the broiler until the cheese has melted.

Salted Fingerling Potatoes

• Salted fingerling potatoes are beautiful and extraordinarily simple appetizers. Add washed fingerling potatoes to heavily salted water, about ½ cup of salt per pound of potatoes. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour out most of the water. Put the pot back on the burner and watch as the water is reduced and the potatoes just begin to sizzle. Remove the potatoes carefully from the pot and use a cloth to wipe the potatoes so only a bit of the salt remains. Serve these delicious bits with the dipping sauce of your choice.

Stuffed Red Potatoes

• Boil small red potatoes for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Take a thin slice off of one side of each potato to create a surface for it to sit on without tipping. Slice some off what is now the top. If the potatoes are large enough, simply cut them in half. Use a melon baller to scoop out the potato's insides. Mix the scooped potato with your choice of flavorings such as sour cream, gorgonzola cheese, or butter and chives. Top each potato with a garnish such as a sprinkling of dill or parsley.