Recipe: Appetizer: Chorizo-Stuffed Mini Potatoes

Makes 36 hors d’oeuvres

18 small red potatoes (about 2½ inches across)
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
1 cup finely diced chorizo
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup fresh bread crumbs
¾ cup finely grated Idiazabal cheese
10 pimento-stuffed Spanish olives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
cilantro leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut potatoes in half. Cut a little slice off the bottom of each half so the potato half can sit flat and scoop out the potato flesh with a melon-baller, leaving a ¼ inch thick shell. (Discard the flesh or reserve for another use if desired.) Toss the potatoes with half the oil and salt to taste. Arrange them in one layer, cut side up and bake for 15 minutes. Turn them over and bake for 10 minutes more or until tender and lightly browned. In a skillet cook the chorizo over moderate heat in the remaining oil until lightly browned. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan, add onion and cook over moderately low heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in chorizo, breadcrumbs, cheese, olives, chopped cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mixture into baked shells, mounding it, and bake for 10 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Wine Skinny Match: Serve these savory mouthfulls with a fruity red, like a Spanish Rioja.

from Party Planning, august 2001