These Poutine Potato Popperscombine all the flavors of poutine in one delicious bite! Bursting with fresh cheese curds and gravy and topped with crispy bacon and chives, these little poppers arethe perfect appetizer or mini meal!
So. We’ve officially entered that part of winter that seemingly never ends. The post-holiday, post Super Bowl, longing-for-warm-weatherstretch. The time of year we just have to put our heads down and power through. The time of yearthat makes us wonder WHY we live in Wisconsin!?
And it’s no surprise, given the time of year we’re in,that I’ve been struck this past week by the overwhelming urge to get away. From the cold, from the monotony, from my kids (haha), and from pretty much everything. I’ll come back when it’s spring, thankyouverymuch!
But alas, no one is swooping in to take my place, to take care of meals and homework and laundry and kids. And even though the groundhog said it’ll be an early spring, it definitely won’t be early enough! Which is why we need to take other measures to make it through the home stretch.
The good news about having lived in Wisconsin my entire life is that I have a stockpile of other measure. Ways to make the monotony seem a little less stifling. Like finding little things to look forward to. Making a celebration out of anything & everything. and liveningthings up with FOOD!!!!
There are plenty of things to look forward to in the next few months – the Oscars, St. Patrick’s Day, March Madness……and if there’s one thing that all of them have in common, it’s that ALL of them will be so much more fun with some delicious appetizers!
Poutine Potato Poppers – A delicious appetizer
Since February is National Potato Lovers’ Month, I thought it would be fun to do a play on one of my favoritepotato dishes ever – POUTINE!!! Have you tried poutine? French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy!? It’s like a Wisconsinite’s dream….and I’m totally obsessed.
So I headed to Pick ‘n Save, where I knew I would find everything I was looking for (including multiple types of cheese curds….yessssss!) And would you believe that my ingredient list was just FOUR basic ingredients, plus the gravy? I opted for a homemade gravy, but you could pick up a pre-made one to save time. Either way, these Poutine Potato Bites are about to become your favorite obsession, too!
Just boil the potatoes, scoop out the insides, stuff them with cheese curds and gravy, bake them for 10 minutes, and finish them off with bacon and chives. Then pop ’em in your mouth…..and the rest is history! You’ll instantly fall in love with the gooey cheese and gravy mixture, and we all know that everything is better with bacon…..!
So tell me – how do YOU beat the winter blahs? I’d love to hear! You can also find more inspiration by visiting Pick ‘n Save on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!
Poutine Potato Poppers Recipe
These Poutine Potato Poppers combine all the flavors of poutine in one delicious bite! Bursting with fresh cheese curds and gravy and topped with crispy bacon and chives, these little poppers are the perfect appetizer or mini meal!
Prep Time 35 minutes minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 45 minutes minutes
Author Cathy Trochelman
Ingredients
- 1 package Roundy's Baby Red Potatoes
- 1 package cheese curds you will not use the whole package
- 1 c. gravy recipe below
- 2 Tbsp. bacon bits
- 2 Tbsp. minced chives
- For gravy:
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 2 c. beef broth
- 1/2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp. ketchup
- 1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
Instructions
Place potatoes in a large pot with enough water to cover them by 2-3 inches.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until tender.
Drain; set potatoes aside to cool.
Prepare gravy by combining butter and flour in a medium saucepan.
Heat over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add broth, cider vinegar, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened, stirring often.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut the top off of each one and place on a rimmed baking sheet. (*It helps to find the natural "bottom" first so the potatoes don't roll!)
Stuff each potato with cheese curds. You may need to break curds to fit.
Carefully pour 1-2 tsp. of gravy into each potato. The gravy should fill in the empty spaces.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Top each potato with bacon bits and minced chives.
I partnered with Pick ‘n Save to bring you this delicious recipe. All ideas and opinions are my own!
For another great potato recipe, check out my Garlic Herb Cheesy Potatoes!
