Potato-based canapes a fun food for holiday parties
New Year’s Eve parties are just around the corner. If you’re hosting, you’re probably on the hunt for some clever but (key word) easy canape recipes that can feed a crowd. So we tapped some local experts for inspiration, asking them to turn the humble hors d’oeuvre staple, the potato — in skin, chip and tot forms — into an appropriately festive finger snack.
Potato skins with smoked trout and horseradish
By Carl Dooley, chef at The Table at Season to Taste
Dooley knows how to pack big flavor into small packages. The “Top Chef” alum has only 20 seats at his intimate Cambridge eatery, The Table at Season to Taste, where guests get a front-row view of the open kitchen as he prepares eclectic and seasonal four-course prix fixe menus. A variation of this fun canape has been at his Table lately — now it can be on yours.
POTATO SKINS WITH SMOKED TROUT AND HORESRADISH
15 small Yukon gold or
fingerling potatoes Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 c. sour cream
1 jar prepared horseradish 1 lb. sliced smoked trout or
smoked salmon fillets 1 bunch fresh dill
Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or so or until tender and allow to cool slightly. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the middle to achieve 30 skins.
Spread out the skins on a baking sheet with the skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put back into the oven, bake until crisp, about 20 minutes.
To serve: Fill each potato skin with a small spoon of sour cream, a pinch of horseradish and a slice of fish. Garnish with cracked black pepper and a few pieces of fresh dill. Makes 30.
Potato chips with scrambled eggs and caviar
By Jared Forman, chefowner at Deadhorse Hill
Deadhorse Hill has helped breathe new life into downtown Worcester’s dining scene. The spot specializes in innovative New American cuisine made with farm-fresh ingredients and served with a sense of fun, an approach that makes even higher-end ideas feel accessible — like, you know, caviar served on potato chips. Hopefully, this same ethos will carry over to its team’s next venture, Simjang, a Korean-American restaurant coming to Wormtown in 2018.
POTATO CHIPS WITH SCRAMBLED EGGS AND CAVIAR
1 russet potato
Salt and fresh ground
pepper
2 eggs
1 oz. heavy cream (or milk) 1 t. butter
Small jar of salmon roe
caviar
Small bundle of chives
Thinly slice the potato on a mandoline slicer and soak in salted water for 10 minutes. Remove from water and place in a colander to dry for 5 minutes. Fry at 350 degrees until golden brown and crisp. Toss in a bowl and season lightly with salt. Place on paper towels to remove excess oil.
In a small mixing bowl, crack eggs and add heavy cream, a pinch of salt and a few turns of fresh ground black pepper. Whisk mixture well. Place a nonstick frying pan on medium heat and add butter. When butter starts to foam and color, add eggs. Once eggs begin to set on the bottom of the pan, scrape with rubber spatula in long strokes. The idea is to have long ribbons of gently cooked eggs; do not brown and don’t break apart the big curds. Once eggs are solid but still look moist, empty into a bowl. Be careful not to overcook or eggs will become dry and chalky.
Scoop small mounds of eggs onto each potato chip and garnish with pepper, salmon roe caviar and finely sliced chives. Makes 12-24 chips.