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Mini Red Potato Appetizer with Cranberries

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These Mini Red Potato Appetizers with Cranberries are a sweet and savory explosion of delicious fall flavors. They’re the prefect way to start any holiday celebration!Several Mini Red Potato Appetizer with Cranberries on a cutting board with fresh chives.This Mini Red Potato Appetizer recipe with Cranberries could have had a much longer title, but I decided the recipe itself is enough of a mouthful. 😉 

I’m always tempted to list as many ingredients as possible in the title, because they usually sound so delicious together, and lure people in.

Pee wee red potatoes with the centers scooped out.

Mini red potatoes are filled with melting Kerrygold Skellig Sweet Cheddar cheese, and spiced cranberry-pecan caramelized onions. The combination of flavors and textures is simply out of this world!

What’s in this Mini Red Potato Appetizer Recipe?

  • mini red potatoes (also called Pee Wee)
  • olive oil
  • red onion
  • dried cranberries
  • pecans
  • cayenne, salt and pepper
  • Kerrygold Skellig Sweet Cheddar Cheese (or other favorite white cheddar)
  • chives

Ar you imagining all of this in one delicious, melt-in-your-mouth bite!?

Mini red potatoes with caramelized onions on cutting board

Even a huge feast should begin with hors d’oeuvres, and these Red Potato Hors D’Oeuvres scream Thanksgiving, and all of the winter holidays, for that matter.

What do Red Potato Hors D’Oeuvres taste like?

Let’s break it down. . .

  • The creamy, full-flavored Cheddar is rich, tangy and subtly sweet, and it’s unbelievable delicious melted beautifully into each bite.
  • The red onion-cranberry-pecan mixture is a compote of sorts. It’s sweet and has a tiny crunch to it.
  • The potatoes are velvety soft and are the perfect vessel for all of the other ingredients. They are like tiny bowls.

mini red potatoes stuffed with grated cheese on cutting board

I think these are so adorable and even more delicious. They’re also quite festive looking, and can be eaten in just one or two bites. Perfect!

Six Mini Red Potato Appetizer with Cranberries on light cutting board with chives.

Can you use other cheeses?

  • This Skellig from Kerrygold is one of my favorite cheeses, but you can use any white cheddar cheese you like.
  • Gruyère would also be a lovely choice.

Can you make this ahead?

Yes!

You can make all of the components a day ahead of time, assemble a few hours ahead, and then bake about fifteen minutes before serving.

Package of Skellig cheddar cheese opened with some of it grated for Potato Bites with Cranberry Pecan Onions

Enjoy every last bite of this Mini Red Potato Appetizer with Cranberries . . . . and pecans, onions, etc. 😉 

Here are a few more fabulous potato appetizers:

This is not a sponsored post — Kerrygold sent me Skellig Sweet Cheddar Cheese for recipe testing. As always, all opinions are my own.

5 from 4 votes
Sweet & Savory Skellig Potato Bites with Cranberry-Pecan Caramelized Onions
Print
Mini Red Potato Appetizer with Cranberries
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

These festive appetizers are a sweet and savory explosion of delicious flavors. They're the prefect way to start your holiday feast.

Makes 2 dozen

Course: Appetizers and Hors d'Oeuvres
Cuisine: American
Keyword: hors d'oeuvres with potatoes, Thanksgiving appetizers, great for Thanksgiving
Servings: 12
Calories: 95 kcal
Author: Valentina K. Wein
Ingredients
  • 1 dozen pee wee red potatoes (they should be approximately 1-inch in diameter, and 1-1/2-inches long), washed
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons pecans, roughly chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1/3 cup Kerrygold Skellig Sweet Cheddar Cheese (or other favorite white cheddar), grated
  • 2 teaspoons fresh chives, finely chopped
Instructions

  1. Cut each potato in half, horizontally. Then use a small melon baller to hollow out a bit of the round side of each half, about 1/2-inch deep. (Save the scraps to sauté, sprinkle with salt and pepper and eat!)

  2. Place the prepared potato halves, flat side down on a large steamer rack, over a few inches of water -- ideally into a pot that fits it perfectly. Place the pot over high heat and once the water below the rack is boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and steam the potatoes until they are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (Cooking times will vary depending on their size). Set the potatoes aside to cool.
  3. Add the olive oil to a medium-sized sauté pan, using enough to coat the bottom.
  4. Roughly chop the thinly sliced onion and place the pan over medium-high heat.
  5. Add the onions to the pan and, stirring often, cook until they are soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the cranberries and pecans and cook for another 2 minutes.
  6. Add the cayenne and season to taste with the salt. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)

  7. Preheat the oven to 300°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  8. Place the potato halves on the lined baking sheet.
  9. Using about 2/3 of the cheese, add a bit to the top of each potato, filling the scooped out area, and gently pressing it down.

  10. Now evenly divide the onion mixture among the potatoes, gently pressing in down on top of the cheese.

  11. Then sprinkle a bit of the remaining cheese on top of each one.

  12. Place them in the preheated 300°F oven just to warm them through and melt the cheese, about 4 minutes.

  13. Place them on a serving platter, sprinkle with the chives and serve warm.

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Comments

  6. Nancy@acommunaltable says

    I won’t be making these for Thanksgiving… because if I did, I would eat EVERY single one of them and have NO room for anything else!! This is a fabulous recipe Valentina and I definitely will be making them…and only them!!!

    Reply

    • valentina says

      Asha, thank you so much – I’ll always take compliments from you, as your work is truly amazing and inspiring. 🙂

      Reply

  8. David says

    Valentina – you are so right about the people being the most important part of Thanksgiving. That is the way we feel, too. These potato bites look terrific – I might eat many of these and skip the turkey! 😉

    Reply

    • valentina says

      I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving! And may you eat lots of delicious food — and if you’re cooking, I’m sure you will!

      Reply

  12. David @ Spiced says

    What a fun appetizer idea! I’m with ya on appetizers before meals (especially during the holidays), and using potatoes as the base is such a cool twist. The flavors in this one are awesome, so I can only imagine how good they taste once combined together. High-five for awesome here, Valentina! 🙂

    Reply

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