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It’s easy to transform good old baking potatoes into tasty, elegant little one-bite potato nests. Fill them with marsala mushrooms or virtually anything else you like.

four potato nests filled with marsala mushrooms on a plate
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Why we love this recipe

These diminutive potato nests come together quickly and easily with just a few ingredients. I love to fill them with marsala mushrooms, but they’re versatile, and you can use your imagination. They’re:

  • Crisp outside, tender inside
  • Delicate yet satisfying
  • Make-ahead and freezer-friendly

I first published this recipe here way back in 2009. I’ve since updated the post for clarity and made a few tweaks to the recipe itself.

What you’ll need

Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.

ingredients in bowls
  • Russet or Idaho potatoes are starchy varieties, and that’s what you want for this recipe. Starchy potatoes will give you the crisp outsides and tender insides that make great potato nests.
  • Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
  • Good old fine sea salt works beautifully — or feel free to go nuts with truffle salt or another seasoned salt. I’ve called for a fairly generous amount, so consider reducing it if you’re sensitive to saltiness.
  • If you’d like to fill the nests with marsala mushrooms, you can find the recipe here.

How to make it

Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a fabulous batch of potato nests. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.

step by step
  1. First you’ll peel and shred the potatoes.
  2. Soak them in ice water, then drain and dry thoroughly.
  3. Mix with the oil, salt, and pepper, and divide among greased mini muffin tins.
  4. Bake, then fill with marsala mushrooms or other filling of your choice. That’s it!
Elegant Appetizers Potato Nests Marsala Mushrooms 780 | Umami Girl
2009 photo

Expert tips and FAQs

Can I make them larger?

Yes. You can use a standard muffin tin to make 12 larger nests if you like. There’s no need to make additional changes to the recipe.

Can I make this recipe in advance? What about leftovers?

You can. Potato nests will keep at cool room temperature if you’d like to make them earlier in the day and reheat and re-crisp in the oven shortly before serving. Or make them up to a few months in advance, freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid, and then transfer to an airtight container. You can pop them straight from the freezer into the oven to reheat and re-crisp.

Filled leftovers will keep for a day or so in an airtight container in the fridge.

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four potato nests filled with marsala mushrooms on a plate
4.58 from 14 votes

Potato Nests with Marsala Mushrooms

By Carolyn Gratzer Cope
It's easy to transform good old baking potatoes into tasty, elegant little one-bite potato nests. Fill them with marsala mushrooms or virtually anything else you like.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Servings: 24 pieces
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Ingredients 

For the potato nests

  • 2 medium baking potatoes, about 1 1/4 pounds/(567 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) safflower oil
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Cooking spray

To fill the nests

Instructions 

  • Fill a large mixing bowl halfway with ice water.
  • Peel the potatoes and shred them on the large holes of a box grater or with the shredding disc of a food processor.
  • Place shredded potatoes into ice water and soak for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F with a rack in the center. Spray a mini muffin tin with plenty of cooking spray.
  • Drain potatoes well and dry thoroughly between kitchen towels or multiple layers of paper towels.
  • Dry the mixing bowl well and place potatoes back into bowl.
  • Pour in the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Mix well to coat evenly.
  • Divide potato mixture evenly among mini muffin cups. Press down in the center of each up to create a little well and nudge the potato up the sides a bit. Potato shreds that rise above the lip of each up will get quite brown in the oven — you can decide how much of this you'd like to achieve or avoid depending on your preference.
  • Slide pan into oven and bake for 25 minutes, until nests are crisped on the outsides and tender and cooked through on the insides.
  • When cool enough to handle, remove nests from pan and fill with marsala mushrooms or other fillings of your choice. Serve hot.

Notes

  1. Russet or Idaho potatoes are starchy varieties, and that's what you want for this recipe. Starchy potatoes will give you the crisp outsides and tender insides that make great potato nests.
  2. Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend.
  3. Good old fine sea salt works beautifully — or feel free to go nuts with truffle salt or another seasoned salt. I've called for a fairly generous amount, so consider reducing it if you're sensitive to saltiness.
  4. Potato nests will keep at cool room temperature if you'd like to make them earlier in the day and reheat and re-crisp in the oven shortly before serving. Or make them up to a few months in advance, freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid, and then transfer to an airtight container. You can pop them straight from the freezer into the oven to reheat and re-crisp.
  5. Filled leftovers will keep for a day or so in an airtight container in the fridge.
  6. You can use a standard muffin tin to make 12 larger nests if you like. There's no need to make additional changes to the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 38kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1.9g, Fiber: 0.7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Snacks and Starters
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @umamigirl or tag #umamigirl!

Hungry for more?

Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.

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Subscribe to Umami Girl's email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
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Carolyn Gratzer Cope Bio Photo

About Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Hi there, I'm Carolyn Gratzer Cope, founder and publisher of Umami Girl. Join me in savoring life, one recipe at a time. I'm a professional recipe developer with training from the French Culinary Institute (now ICE) and a lifetime of studying, appreciating, and sharing food.

4.58 from 14 votes (14 ratings without comment)

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11 Comments

  1. Carolyn – Your use of kitchen equipment based on proximity makes perfect sense to me – I really really want to make this recipe – it looks awesome – but I may need professional help – a full session of it – focused on the use of one of my – dare I say it – one of my two mandolines!!!! Yes it is a little shocking – but I just can’t seem to self teach on this one.I just know It will open up a whole world of opportunity….Daphne