Salt Baked Baby Potato Cups with Goat Cheese & Walnuts

[kirra]

Salt Baked Baby Potato Cups with Goat Cheese & Walnuts

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons walnuts, halved
2 cups and 1 tablespoon kosher salt
24 red bliss potatoes, or other small potatoes of your choice
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground pepper
8 ounces goat cheese or chèvre, room temperature*
2 tablespoons chives or green onions, minced
1 teaspoon rosemary or thyme, minced
Extra sprigs of rosemary or thyme, for garnish
*4 ounces cream cheese and 4 ounces goat cheese can be substituted.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Spread walnuts on baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes. Set aside. Lower oven temperature to 350°F.

In a large bowl, toss potatoes in canola oil, pepper and 1 tablespoon salt.
Spread 2 cups of kosher salt on a baking sheet. Spread potatoes evenly on salted baking sheet and roast for about 35 minutes or until tender when pierced. Let cool, and then rub off the excess salt.

While the potatoes are cooking, combine goat cheese, onion and rosemary (or thyme) in a medium-sized bowl.

Cut off tops of potatoes and scoop out half of the inside. A melon baller works well for this. Discard the potato insides or save for another use, such as homemade hashbrowns or to add to soup or stews.

Fill each potato cup with goat cheese mixture and top with a halved walnut. Garnish the serving platter with extra sprigs of herbs. Makes 24 hors d’oeuvres.

Notes:
Use a pastry bag to fill your potato cups. If you don’t have one, create your own by filling a large re-sealable plastic bag with cheese mixture and snipping off the bottom corner. Be sure to squeeze the bag from the top and not the bottom, so the filling doesn’t overflow over the edge.

To add extra flair to your presentation and prevent your potatoes from tipping over, spread rock salt on a platter and nestle the potatoes into it.

To save time before your party, bake the potatoes and scoop out the insides a day ahead of time. Just brush the potatoes in oil and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also make cheese mixture the day before. When ready to serve, briefly reheat the potatoes, fill with cheese and season with salt and pepper.