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Potato Palooza 2015 | She Paused 4 Thought

Idaho Hash Brown Baskets with Baked Quail Eggs

Course Appetizer
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6
Author Erika Kerekes of In Erika’s Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 2 medium Idaho Russet potatoes
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon salt plus additional for serving
  • teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted (I always use Kerrygold)
  • ¼ cup prepared pesto try Trader Joe's pesto
  • 12 quail eggs
  • Equipment: mini muffin tin

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Wash the potatoes and prick each a few times with a fork. Bake the potatoes until they start to soften but are definitely not completely done, about 20 minutes. Let cool about half an hour. (This can be done a day ahead of time.) Leave the oven on.
  3. Grate the semi-baked potatoes with a hand-held grater - peel them first if you like, although it’s not necessary. In a medium bowl put the grated potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper, and butter; toss well to combine.
  4. Spray the mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Using about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture for each mini muffin cup, press the potato mixture into the muffin cups, making a well in the center and pushing the potatoes up and over the sides of the cup (they will shrink in the oven).
  5. Bake the hash brown “baskets” 20-30 minutes, until the undersides are deep golden brown and the tops are at least light golden and starting to crisp around the edges. Again, leave the oven on.
  6. Remove the baskets from the oven. Put a small dollop of pesto into each cup, then crack a quail egg on top of the pesto. Put the baskets back in the oven for exactly 5 minutes; you want the whites of the quail eggs cooked but the yolks still very runny.
  7. Use an offset spatula to put the hash brown baskets on a serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.