I adore Devilled Eggs. If they are part of a brunch or potluck table, I have to pull myself away before I inhale way more than my fair share.
Jim doesn’t care fore Devilled Eggs. A lot of guys seem to feel the same way. Is it an egg thing? A texture thing?
Anyway, a while back, I made a batch of Devilled Mini Potatoes. Jim was totally on board for this version. At first he questioned it, but after his first bite, he immediately put four more onto his plate. I will take this as a good sign. So now I’m sharing my method for these Jim approved potato bites.
These little gems are the perfect nibble to add to any gathering you may be throwing or attending. No more fussy than making Devilled Eggs, without the added aroma, if you get my meaning.
Before we get cooking, why are they called Deviled (Eggs or Potatoes)? According to Chef’s Resource, “The term “deviled” in culinary context dates back to the 18th century and was used to describe highly seasoned or spicy foods. It derived from the association of the devil with intense heat and spiciness. The concept of deviling food was to transform it into a more fiery and flavorful dish that would appeal to adventurous and daring palates.” So it’s all about adding that bit of heat or spice. Which these days, is usually a bit of mustard, and paprika in the filling or on top. And ‘deviled’ is the preferred North American spelling, ‘devilled’ is the British way.
What You Will Need
- Mini potatoes: try to find ones that are similar in size to your typical egg. To small, and they become just to fussy to deal with. To large, and they are no longer little bites.
- Mayo: I will share my go-to recipe for homemade mayo, but of course, store bought is just fine.
- Sweet pickle relish: I rarely have relish in the house, so I will share my method for a quick fake sweet pickle relish below
- Mustard: Dijon is my preferred mustard, but good ole yellow hot dog mustard will also work.
- Chives: for the mixture, as well as a garnish
- Bacon: the perfect potato salad garnish as far as I’m concerned. If you want to keep these Devilled Mini Potatoes vegatarian, no worries, why not finely dice up a radish or two to sprinkle on top instead?
- Paprika: a dash in the the mixture, as well as for the garnish, to give it that Deviled Egg look.
Method
You will start by gently boiling the potatoes in salted water, until a sharp knife slides into the centre easily. Let them cool in a colander. Once cooled, slice in half carefully. Try to position the slice so that each side has a flatter bottom, so that they will lay on the plate without too much rolling around. If that still can’t be achieved, carefully use that sharp knife to slice a sliver off the bottom to create a flat surface.
Use a small spoon or melon baller to remove the flesh. I always score around the edges first to leave between 1/6 to 1/8 edge of potato for stability. Add all the flesh to a bowl and mash it well with a fork. If you will be using a piping bag to fill your hollowed out potatoes, ensure that you have mashed to potato flesh finely, or else you will find that it will clog up the piping bag tip.
Add the remaining mixture ingredients and mix well till smooth. Taste and season with salt and white pepper.
Pipe or spoon the mixture evenly between the halved potatoes. Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika, some more chives and bacon bits.
I find that chilling before serving is best for these little treasures.
Homemade Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise has gotten so expensive! And the ingredient list is not at all appealing. Especially when the front label says Olive Oil or Avocado Oil, but the ingredient list shows some other seed oils and preservatives. So I’ve gone back to making my own. And it is just so easy!!
All you need is an egg, the oil of your choice (if you use olive oil, make sure it says light tasting), apple cider vinegar, mustard, lemon, and some salt. Also, adding something like plain kombucha, yogurt, or even fermented pickle juice will increase the time it will last in the fridge.
Add one cold egg, 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp sea salt (and something fermented if you want, about 1-2 tsp) to a tall glass jar that your immersion blender can fit into and reach the bottom. Make sure the jar isn’t too wide, it will be harder to blend everything smoothly. Give it a quick whiz to mix everything. Then slowly add the oil and keep blending till thickened and smooth. Pull up slowly on the immersion blender as it starts to emulsify and thicken, to allow room for it all to increase in volume. This should take about 30 seconds. This will last for a few weeks in the fridge, kept in the coldest part of the fridge.
Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish
If you haven’t got relish in the fridge (the kind you use on your hot dogs or hamburgers, or even a sandwich) then here is a quick way to make a batch. It couldn’t be easier, and once you’ve made it, you’ll realize that you don’t need to buy another jar again!
If you have sweet ‘Bread and Butter’ pickles, you are already ahead of the game. If you only have a jar of dill pickles in the fridge, that’s fine too!
For a half cup or so of finished relish, you will use:
- 2-3 large dill pickles, or 1/2 cup bread and butter pickle slices, finely minced
- 3 tbsp finely minced red or white onion
- 1 tbsp spoon finely chopped fresh dill
- 2-3 tbsp pickle juice, or apple cider vinegar (depending on how tangy you want your relish)
- 1-2 tsp granulated sugar or honey if you are using dill pickles, or if you want your relish to be a touch sweeter.
- salt and pepper, to taste
Combine all the ingredients, starting with less pickle juice and adding more to get the consistency you like. Start with less of the sugar or honey, as well as the salt and pepper. Taste, and add more as you desire.
This is best stored in a sealed container in the fridge to let the flavours meld till ready to use.
And if you want some more fun potato and egg appetizers, check out Mini Hasselback Potatoes with Green Tahini Sauce, Mini Salt Crusted Baked Potatoes, Mimosa Devilled Egg Pasta Salad
Final Thoughts
These little Deviled Mini Potatoes are addictive, I promise! And they keep for days in a sealed container in the fridge. All the flavour and crunch of your favourite potato salad, but piped into a cute little potato! These days, with eggs at a premium, these potato bites are the perfect budget friendly alternative.
These will taste just a delicious, and look just as impressive if you don’t have a piping bag. In fact, it will mean not having to clean out the piping bag and tip, so really, using a small spoon is the logical step. I just like to play with my food, so I had to pull out the piping bag.
Bacon:
For ease of assembly, fry up and crumble your bacon ahead of time and store in a sealed container in the fridge till ready to make these up. The diced bacon is there for favour, and a bit of textural fun. If you want to forego the bacon, why not finely dice up a couple of radishes. The pop of red skin and white flesh is a beautiful finish of ‘confetti’ for presentation, and that crunch!
Save sprinkling the paprika till ready to serve or take to that picnic so that the paprika doesn’t ‘bleed’ onto the filling.
If you make up these Deviled Stuffed Mini Potatoes, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.
Love Jen
Deviled Mini Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 lb mini potatoes (pick ones that are similar in size, not too small or too large) You should get around 10-12 potatoes per pound
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise, see Notes
- 1 1/2 tsp dijon or yellow mustard
- 3-4 tbsp sweet pickle relish, see Notes
- 3 tbsp finely chopped chives
- 1/4 sweet smoked paprika
- salt and white pepper, to taste
- Garnishes
- sweet smoked paprika
- chopped chives
- Bacon bits, can be fried up, crumbled, and stored in the fridge ahead of time
- Radish, finely chopped
- chopped dill leaves
Instructions
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Add the potatoes to a pot of well salted water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer till a knife slides easily in, through to the centre, about 12 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes. Drain and place in a colander till cooled.
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Carefully slice the potatoes in half. Try to position your cut line so that the potato halves have a flatter bottom, to avoid toppling over on the platter. If they do wabble, carefully use the knife to slice a sliver off the bottom to create a flat surface.
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Score around the edges of the potato wall, leaving between 1/6-1/8 inch of border, This will ensure that the potato walls will stay up to hold the filling and will be strong enough to grasp. Then use a small spoon or melon baller to scoop out the flesh into a medium sized bowl.
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Use a fork to mash the potato flesh WELL. You don't want large chunks of potato to clog up the piping bag if you are using one when filling the potato halves.
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Add the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, chives and paprika to the potato flesh. Mix well. If you find the filling too stiff, feel free to add apple cider vinegar or pickle juice, 1 tsp at a time till you get the texture you like. Taste and season with salt and white pepper.
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Use a piping bag or a small spoon to evenly fill the potato halves with the mixture.
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These are best stored on a platter or wide tupperware container in the fridge to let the flavours meld. Even 1 hour will make all the difference.
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Before serving or taking to that potluck, garnish. Sprinkle with a bit paprika, bacon bits, chopped dill, and or diced radish.
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Leftovers will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for days!
Recipe Notes
The recipe for my homemade Mayonnaise is in the blog post verbiage
The recipe for my Sweet Pickle relish is in the blog post verbiage.
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