Potato baskets: the recipe for a delicious and stringy appetizer

Ingredients
POTATOES (NET OF WASTE)
300 gr
EGG
1
00 FLOUR
20 gr
CHIVES
to taste
SALT
to taste
PEPPER
to taste
FOR THE STUFFING
CHAMPIGNON MUSHROOMS (NET OF WASTE)
150 gr
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
to taste
GARLIC
1 clove
SALT
to taste
FONTINA
100 gr
YOU ALSO NEED THEM
BUTTER FOR THE MOULDS
to taste
PARSLEY
1 tuft
Potato baskets are a simple and delicious appetizer , ideal to bring to the table for the Christmas holiday menu or on the occasion of an occasion with special guests. They are prepared with a base of grated potatoes, stuffed with mushrooms and fontina: crunchy on the outside and stringy at the centre, they will also be excellent to serve for an informal dinner with friends and will win over adults and children alike.

Making them is quick and easy: once peeled and rinsed, the potatoes are grated and mixed with an egg, flour, a pinch of salt, ground pepper and chives; the mixture obtained is distributed into well-buttered muffin molds and compacted to form many small baskets, which are then baked for half an hour. They are stuffed with mushrooms , previously sautéed in a pan with a base of oil and garlic, and cubes of fontina , then they put everything back in the oven for a few more minutes, so that the cheese melts perfectly.

The result will be delicious morsels, to be enjoyed piping hot. For an impeccable result, we suggest using yellow potatoes and squeezing them well after grating them, with the help of a cloth, so as to remove excess liquids. If you wish, you can flavor the mixture with a pinch of nutmeg or finely chopped rosemary, to give it even more aroma and flavour.

In our recipe we used champignons but , if you like, you can opt for the variety of mushrooms you prefer: porcini, chanterelles, chiodini, pioppini, mixed… The important thing is to clean them carefully to eliminate any residual soil, which could compromise the good success of the dish.

Find out how to prepare potato baskets following the step-by-step procedure and advice. If you liked this recipe, also try the potato balls , potato nests and potato muffins .

How to prepare potato baskets

Step 1
Peel the potatoes and wash them under a jet of cold water to remove any soil residues and impurities
1
.

Step 2
Grate them using a large hole grater
2
.

Step 3
Collect the grated potatoes, egg, a pinch of salt, pepper and finely chopped chives in a bowl
3
.

Step 4
Add the flour
4
.

Step 5
Mix carefully with a spoon to combine all the ingredients
5
.

Step 6
Butter a muffin mold and distribute the mixture, then compact it and create a central hollow to give it the shape of a basket
6
. Cook in a static oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes, until they appear golden brown.

Step 7
In the meantime, clean the mushrooms carefully, cut them into slices and cook them in a pan with a base of extra virgin olive oil, a clove of garlic and a pinch of salt
7
.

Step 8
Cut the fontina into cubes
8
.

Step 9
Once cooked, take the potato baskets out of the oven
9
.

Step 10
Transfer them to a baking tray lined with baking paper
10
.

Step 11
Fill the potato baskets with a spoonful of sautéed mushrooms
11
.

Step 12
Add the fontina cubes
12
, then bake again until the cheese is melted; once ready, arrange them on a tray or serving plate.

Step 13
Garnish with a handful of fresh chopped parsley and enjoy your potato baskets, hot and stringy
13
.

Advice
The recipe for potato baskets is very versatile and can be customized as you wish, depending on the season and the ingredients present at home. For example, you can fill the baskets with cubes of ham and mozzarella, with ragù and bechamel , ricotta and spinach, or tofu and sautéed escarole for a vegan version. You can also opt for lentils and cotechino , to propose a New Year’s finger food with guaranteed success.

storage
The potato baskets can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly closed in an airtight container, for a maximum of 2 days . Before consuming them, you can heat them in the oven for about 10 minutes.