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Honored Contributor
Posts: 28,905
Registered: ‎03-27-2014

Potato Nests with Peas, Ham and Cream Cheese

Potato Nests with Peas, Ham and Cream Cheese
 
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This elegant appetizer comes together easily with simple, time-saving ingredients. Frozen hash browns are pressed into mini muffin tins and baked into crispy nests filled with ham, lemony cream cheese, and peas. Serve them at your Easter dinner or spring cocktail party
 
Ingredients

 

Nonstick cooking spray

2 thick slices deli ham (about 4 ounces total) 

16 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) frozen shredded hash browns, thawed (about half of a 30-ounce bag)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Finely grated zest of one lemon

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup frozen peas 

2 tablespoon chopped chives (1/2-inch pieces)

Paprika, for serving

Directions
  Special equipmentSmiley Surprisedne 12-cup mini muffin tin and one 24-cup mini muffin tin
  1. Position two racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup and a 24-cup mini muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Cut the ham into small matchsticks similar in size to the hash browns. Set aside and reserve 1/3 cup of the ham. Mix the remaining ham, hash browns, 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper in a large bowl. Divide the mixture evenly among the sprayed cups, using about 1 rounded tablespoon each. Press the mixture in a thin layer across the bottom and up the sides of each cup to make a nest, leaving the edges uneven and jagged. 
  3. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the nests are dark brown around the tips and golden and crisp on the outside, about 25 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, lemon zest, milk 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some pepper together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed. Scrape the mixture into a resealable plastic bag, cut off the tip and set aside.
  5. When the nests are ready, remove them from the oven and let sit until they are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Carefully lift the nests out of the tins using a small offset spatula or butter knife and transfer to a cookie sheet. Pipe the filling evenly among the nests. This may be done ahead; the nests can be set aside at room temperature until ready to serve, up to two hours. 
  6. When ready to serve, heat the filled nests until the cream cheese is warm and the potatoes are crisp, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the frozen peas and cook until they are warm but not shriveled, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the peas in a colander, shaking to remove excess water. 
  7. Transfer the nests to a serving platter. Top each with 1/4 teaspoon of the reserved ham, 3 peas and about 1/4 teaspoon chopped chives. Sprinkle with paprika and serve immediately.

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality ~  Dante Alighieri
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,138
Registered: ‎05-20-2011

Re: Potato Nests with Peas, Ham and Cream Cheese

These look delicious!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 43,240
Registered: ‎01-08-2011

Re: Potato Nests with Peas, Ham and Cream Cheese

Very cute but green peas and potatoes are a lot of carbs.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,930
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Potato Nests with Peas, Ham and Cream Cheese

I think I would do the nests in a regular size muffin pan.  Then you could consider them a meal with a little adjustment on quantities. Just add a salad.