These pretty, little Cheddar Potato Bites with Cranberry Pecan Onions are a sweet and savory explosion of delicious flavors. They’re the prefect way to start your Thanksgiving feast!
I used to feel like Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the Thanksgiving I knew and loved, if we didn’t celebrate in the home I grew up in. The home my parents still live in, and where most of the Thanksgivings of my life were spent.
My parents’ home invites Thanksgiving like no other. The whole family filled the living room, which is full of warm colors, restored antiques, high ceilings covered with perfectly placed barn wood boards, and a two-story brick fireplace that my mom sandblasted herself from top to bottom.
The fireplace was the center of the gathering, with a roaring fire that my dad and brother would feed throughout the evening.
With my parents getting older, and the kids’ table growing, over the past few years my husband and I have taken over hosting Thanksgiving.
While I haven’t sandblasted any fireplaces recently, and our ten-year-old coffee table is hardly antique, as I plan for the holiday this year, I finally feel like I’ve created the warm, comforting feeling that my parents had perfected – the Thanksgiving I knew and loved.
And really, it’s because of those who fill the living room.
Even a huge feast should begin with hors d’oeuvres, and these Cheddar Potato Bites with Cranberry Pecan Onions scream Thanksgiving.
Tiny 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!
The creamy, full-flavored Cheddar is rich, tangy and subtly sweet, and it’s unbelievable delicious melted beautifully into each bite.
Enjoy every last of of these Cheddar Potato Bites with Cranberry Pecan Onions!
This is not a sponsored post — Kerrygold sent me Skellig Sweet Cheddar Cheese for recipe testing. And as always, all opinions are my own.
Makes 2 dozen
- 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
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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!)
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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.
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Add the olive oil to a medium-sized sauté pan, using enough to coat the bottom.
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Roughly chop the thinly sliced onion and place the pan over medium-high heat.
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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.
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Add the cayenne and season to taste with the salt. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
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Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the potato halves on the lined baking sheet.
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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.
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Now evenly divide the onion mixture amongst the potatoes, gently pressing in down on top of the cheese.
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Then sprinkle a bit of the remaining cheese on top of each one.
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Place them in the preheated 300 degree F oven just to warm them through and melt the cheese, about 4 minutes.
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Place them on a serving platter, sprinkle with the chives and serve warm.
These sound and look fantastic, Valentina!!! I seriously want to make these! What a beautiful presentation, too! You’ve combined so many things I LOVE!
Thank you so much, Christina! 🙂
Just gorgeous! I love everything about these bites, from the shell to the stuffing! Pinned!
Thank you, Laura. I’ll take that as a big compliment coming from you. 🙂
Just adore these festive little lovelies! The cranberries and cheddar are just magnificent when paired with pecans!
Agreed! And thank you. 🙂
I’ve been looking for something like this for an event. I like the cheese idea instead of the usual sour cream. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks so much, Patricia! Hope you try them for your event. 🙂
Valentina, these are the cutest!
And, they sound delicious. I’ve gotta make a bunch for Thanksgiving. xox
If you leave the cayenne, your little one should love them, too. 🙂
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!!!
Nancy, thank you! Hope you enjoy!
that is such a cool and innovative idea for serving potatoes, love it.
Very yuummy Valentina, I could chug down a lot of them.
Asha, thank you so much – I’ll always take compliments from you, as your work is truly amazing and inspiring. 🙂
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! 😉
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!