Ham and Cheese Potato Bites
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Nutty Gruyere adds distinctive flavor to these delectable Ham and Cheese Potato Bites. Stuffed with chopped ham and a surprising secret ingredient (crushed pineapple!), these little twice-baked potatoes make an impressive party appetizer.
When you think about potato appetizers as a finger food, potato skins or some type of poutine usually come to mind — not twice-baked potatoes. However, twice-baked small red potatoes are the perfect bite-size hors d’oeuvre.
Ham and Cheese Potato Bites
This time of year, I love to browse through my collection of Christmas cookbooks for party appetizers and holiday menu ideas. I know it’s pretty old school in these Pinterest days, but I love printed books and magazines that you can touch and feel and dog-ear the pages!
This past weekend, I pulled out my stack of Southern Living Christmas books and found a classic recipe for Ham and Cheese Potato Bites.
I first made this recipe when my Southern Living Christmas book arrived in the mail back in 1996. Over the last ten years, I have made them many times and they are always a hit!
This year I tripled the recipe and took them to our neighborhood Christmas gathering. My kitchen looked like I’d gone into the catering business!
Ingredients for this Twice-Baked Potato Appetizer
- Small red potatoes — choose potatoes that are uniform in size
- Chopped ham (fully cooked) — you may use leftover baked ham or a quality deli ham
- Guyere cheese — nutty and creamy, this cheese adds plenty of flavor
- Sour cream — adds more creaminess to the filling
- Cream cheese with chives and onions — the soft version found in tubs in the dairy section
- Canned crushed pineapple — adds sweetness to balance out the other flavors; be sure to drain well or the filling will be too watery.
- Garlic salt and red cayenne pepper — for a flavor kick!
How to Make Ham and Cheese Potato Bites
- Wash and dry small red potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour.
- Once out of the oven, wait until the potatoes are cool enough to handle before cutting them in half.
- Use a melon baller to carefully scoop out the pulp, leaving the shells intact.
- Combine the potato pulp with the other filling ingredients — sour cream, cheeses, ham, crushed pineapple, and spices — then spoon back into the potato shells.
- Return to the oven and bake another 5 minutes until hot and bubbly.
Related recipes
- Buffalo Roasted Cauliflower — Serve this crispy, tangy cauliflower as an appetizer — or even a side dish!
- Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes — Fresh spinach and “cocktail” tomatoes pair together perfectly for a healthy bite-size appetizer.
- Peppery Grilled Okra with Lemon Basil Dipping Sauce — You may not have considered okra on the grill before, but grilling okra brings out a unique roasted flavor.
- Mediterranean Layer Dip — Bursting with all the best Greek flavors —Kalamata olives, capers, and Feta cheese — this dip has homemade white bean hummus as its base.
Let’s cook!
Make and stuff the potato bites ahead of time for your party, but don’t put them into the oven for the second bake cycle. Wait until just before your guests arrive to do this so that they are hot for serving.
Nutty gruyere cheese, along with the saltiness of chopped ham and the sweetness of crushed pineapple — the secret ingredient — combine for a distinctly delicious flavor that your guests will love!
Ham and Cheese Potato Bites
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. small unpeeled red potatoes
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese shredded
- ½ cup finely chopped cooked ham
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons soft cream cheese with chives and onions
- 3 tablespoons crushed pineapple drained well
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon ground red pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place potatoes on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 50 minutes or just until tender. Cool completely.
- Cut potatoes in half and scoop out pulp, leaving shell in tact.
- In a large bowl, combine potato pulp with remaining ingredients. Spoon mixture into potato shells and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
- Broil 4-6 minutes, watching carefully, until bubbly and golden.
Notes
- Use a melon baller to carefully scoop out the pulp, leaving the shells intact.
- Make and stuff the potato bites ahead of time for your party, but don’t put them into the oven for the second bake cycle. Wait until just before your guests arrive to do this so that they are hot for serving.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
I love going through old cookbooks too! There is something about the printed copy, and the stains marking which recipes are your favourite!!! These potato bites sounds delicious. Love the flavour combo of gruyere, ham and pineapple! These are definitely a ‘must-make’ appetizer!