Twice-Baked Mini Potato Appetizer

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Use scissors or a very sharp knife to cut the bacon into tiny pieces. In a small frying pan over medium heat, fry the pieces until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan, drain grease and set aside.

Add the mini potatoes to a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the potatoes. Pour the potatoes onto an unlined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through, stirring once. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

At the same time, wash the russet potatoes. Pierce the skin with a fork and bake alongside the mini potatoes. These will take a little bit longer to bake depending on the size of the potatoes, approximately 50 to 60 minutes. To test for doneness, lightly squeeze the potato between your thumb and forefinger and if it indents easily then the potato is done. Once cooked through, remove the potatoes from the oven and slice them in half. Scrape the inside of the potato away from the skin and add it into a medium bowl.

Add the butter, cream cheese, milk, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese into the bowl with the potato flesh. Use an electric mixer to mix all of the ingredients together until smooth and the cheese is completely melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the potato mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. (This step is optional, but it adds a more decorative finish to the presentation.) Set aside.

The mini potatoes will need to be cut in order to stand upright without falling over. Find the side of the potato that is the most even and straight. Cut a small slice off so that it will sit straight. Take a slightly larger slice off the other end to make an even surface for piping the potato/cheese mixture. Set them upright on the baking tray. Pipe the potato/cheese mixture on top of each mini potato. If you’re not using a pastry bag and tip, you can simply use a spoon to make a small mound of potato/cheese mixture on the top of each. Sprinkle with finely chopped chives and a few pieces of bacon.

Before serving, bake for 15 minutes at 350 F until heated through.