Mini Twice Baked Broccoli Cheddar Potatoes

These Mini Twice Baked Broccoli Cheddar Potatoes are great as a side dish and so fun as an appetizer. How would you serve them?

I’ve always dreamed of a life filled with dinner parties and laughter around my table. The latter has always been a part of my life, but the former comes in fits and starts.

And at the moment, it’s sputtered to a complete halt.

You too? It’s true for many people right now.

That doesn’t stop me from wanting the fun and joy of dinner parties. Or from imaging the days when I’ll invite people over again. When I tour houses, I always think about the potential for entertaining in each one.

In the meantime, we’re switching up our meal plans to keep dinnertime fun. We’ve made egg rolls, dined on homemade-ish Indian food and spent a whole day making a roast.

Appetizers like these Mini Twice Baked Broccoli Cheddar Potatoes? They are always fun.

I mean it. When I was writing The Easy Appetizer Cookbook, my family ate appetizers a lot. We’d make whole meals of them — something that was reserved for special occasions when I was a kid. Maybe it’s time to do a little of that — appetizers for dinner, I mean — again …

Please note: this recipe isn’t from the book. It’s just a tasty one worth trying.

This recipe for Mini Twice Baked Broccoli Cheddar Potatoes turns a full-sized dinner party favorite into a pint-sized appetizer. Or a side dish, if you prefer. These are like the two-bite cousins of the classic.

And they are delightful. So, so delightful.

To make these Mini Twice Baked Broccoli Cheddar Potatoes, start by baking some small potatoes. You’ll want ones that are about the size of a tablespoon. That gives you enough potato to work with, without getting too big. Once they are baked, you use a spoon to scrape out the cooked flesh — well, some of it — into a bowl.

Then you mix up the filling, spoon it back into the potatoes and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle them with cheese and bake them again.

Now the Mini Twice Baked Broccoli Cheddar Potatoes are ready to serve. Side dish? Appetizer? You decide. Either way, they’re delightful.