Ok people, pressure’s on. Time to wow the most important, most respected critic, ever: our mom.
Yep, our parents will be here exactly one week from today to spend Passover with us. Do we even need to tell you how excited we are about it? Being able to spend the Holidays with them is priceless. It’s almost like being a kid again. Waking up to the amazing smells coming from the kitchen. Sitting down for coffee, talking and laughing for no reason. Happy childhood memories. If that’s not what the Holidays are all about, I don’t know what is…
And of course, having our mom’s cooking is always a (great) plus. But see, here’s the thing. Even though she’s the one who usually takes charge in the kitchen during the Holidays, she doesn’t eat any of the food she makes. My mom has been a vegetarian forever, which basically means that she makes all this wonderful food for everyone else to enjoy… but can’t have any of it.
So every year, we try to come up with something that we know she will enjoy. And this year, we are trying to step it up a notch with this recipe. Bite size, easy to make, light and elegant. And most importantly, “mom-approved”. No one deserves it more.
- 4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ - ½ tsp pepper
- 2½ tsp garlic powder
- 2½ tsp onion powder
- 4 tsp vegetable oil
- Cooking Spray
- 4 cups of frozen spinach thawed (yields 2 cups cooked )
- 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large eggs
- Preheat oven at 400F
- Grate the potatoes, add ½ tsp of salt, mix well and let them sit in a colander with a bowl under it for 20 minutes.
- In a large skillet, sauté spinach in olive oil. Season with 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder and ½ tsp salt. Cook until most of the water had evaporated, 6-8 minutes. Set aside.
- Squeeze as much water out of the grated potatoes as you can. Season with ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp pepper. Add 4 tsp vegetable oil and mix well.
- Generously spray a 12 muffin tin pan with cooking spray.
- Arrange grated potatoes into each muffin cup, pressing against the bottom and up the sides.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they start to brown slightly . Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, beat eggs, add a pinch of salt and spinach and mix until well combined.
- Evenly spoon spinach in each potato nest.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until egg is cooked.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly.
- Carefully unmold each potato nest using a butter knife around the edges of the nest.
- Makes 12 potato nests
- ENJOY!! From May I Have That Recipe.
THEY ARE THE BEST WHEN MADE AND EATEN FRESH, BUT IF YOU NEED TO MAKE THEM AHEAD RE-HEAT THEM IN A 350F OVEN FOR ABOUT 8 MINUTES.
Also check out our contest winning potato nest recipe with spinach and goat cheese http://www.simplypotatoes.com/recipes/recipeView.cfm?RecipeID=4502a
The recipe sounds good AND easy. I’ll try it!
Thank you!
This looks really good and kid friendly!
Thank you. Fun way to make kids eat spinach 🙂
Really love the idea of a potato basket! They look so delicious
Thank you!! We thought it was a really fun and elegant idea. And so easy to make!
I made these and they were exceptionaly delicious! I added feta cheese to them. It turned out really yummy… i loved the saltiness the feta cheese added! I will surely be making these again!
We love making them with cheese as well. Thank you.
I love making potato-crusted quiches and they sound even better in bite-size form. Chag Sameach 🙂
chag sameach
Do you make these in a mini muffin tin or full size?
This recipe was made in full size tins.
Amazing!! I’m totally trying this during passover! Thank you for this recipe – I’ve been stumped this year when trying to find something relatively healthy! Much appreciated
Thank you!!!! This is really delicious!!!! Please let us know what you think when you try it. We love feedback!
Would it work to just buy pre shredded potatoes?
Yes, it will work with pre shredded potatoes. just make sure to squeeze as much moisture out of the potatoes as you can. Just watch the cooking time it may be a little different. Let us know how they come out
I made these last night, and they were a huge hit! My husband proclaimed them delicious, Passover or not, and said I can make them any time :).
One word of advice…be really, REALLY generous with the cooking spray. I thought I had used a good amount, but my potatoes still stuck to the bottom and it was a little messy to get them out.
Thanks for a great idea!!
You are welcome. Thanks for the tip. We used a new muffin tin and we did not have trouble, but that was a really good suggestion. Thanks.
I made these last night and they were a huge hit with everyone. My husband proclaimed them delicious, Pesach or not, and said I could make them anytime 🙂
One thing I noticed…you need to be really, REALLY generous with the cooking spray. I thought I had used a good amount, but my potatoes still stuck a little bit on the bottom and it was tough to get them out of the pans.
I followed the recipe exactly here, but next time I would cut down a little on the pepper in the potatoes, and I think I might try using fresh garlic and onion in the spinach.
Thanks for a yummy new Pesach recipe!
These sound great! How long do they stay crispy for? (I’m thinking of making them in the morning for an evening meal). Have you tried them with sweet potatoes? This should be a good addition to my Friday night Passover meal this week. Thanks.
We actually made these a day ahead for Passover and they definitely weren’t as crispy as the “fresh” ones. You can re-heat them in the oven at 350F for 8 minutes, so they can crisp up again. So our suggestion would be to eat them soon after baking them. We also experimented with grated carrots and parsnips instead of potatoes, and they came out great! Sweet potatoes would be a delicious alternative! Hope you enjoy them!
SOOO happy to find your site! We are vegetarian, observant and passover is let’s just say a challenge? I can’t wait to try this tonight for shabbat! So sick of all the same potato kugels, etc….THANKS! 🙂
Thank you, so much. We are not big fans of Kugels either.
Hello!
I wanted to let you know that this post has been included in a collection on my blog. I am an Event Designer, and I put together a weekly post as part of my series, “The Sparkle Queen Events”. Each week a concept that I’ve designed is featured in detail on my site. The elements that make up these events are a combination ideas and images I’ve found all over the internet. I piece them together and turn them into a beautiful, coherent event concept.
This is a link to the direct post:
http://sparklysharpandfabulous.blogspot.com/2012/10/rustic-owl-baby-shower-mostly-diy.html
Links to your idea have been included in the post for my viewers to find easier! This event will be shared and showcased not only on my blog, but also on my social media accounts such as Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, etc.. , I’d love to connect pages via social media, so I can showcase your item and share it better with my followers, just send me the links if you are interested!
I hope you get a chance to see the post!
<3 The Sparkle Queen from sparklysharpandfabulous.blogspot.com
Great! Thank you for including us in your beautiful site. We hope you find more recipes you like 🙂
These look so good! I’m sending this post to my husband. He’s the cook in the family!
Haha! Thanks!!! How lucky are you?! 🙂
I had a real problem with how salty these were! I cut the salt and seasonings in half the second time and it was better. Is there a problem using real garlic and onions? Otherwise, I like the idea and they are very cute! My kids will hopefully eat them if I can get the seasonings right!
Sorry about that. Our cooking can be on the salty side at times and we’ve tried to modify it because we understand not everyone likes it like that.
Glad it came out ok after you adjusted the salt. These are great for kids, easy and fun to eat! Hope they enjoy them.
I just made these and they were awesome! I didn’t mind them being a little salty, I actually preferred it 🙂
Thanks!! So glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
I finally had a chance to make these, about a month ago. They were a perfect side dish to our dinner and so tasty! I was surprised and elated, to find out it truly is a simple recipe. I ended up having to use Russett potatoes and better understand the reasons behind yukon now, they have a sweeter taste. I’m excited to make them again for Passover this year.
Was thinking about other ways of making this and wanted to know if you’ve tried using sweet potatoes, if they would crisp the same way?
Many thanks for all of your recipes, they’re user friendly and delectable, healthy alternatives – more please!
~Linda
We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe and thank you for being a fan of our recipes. We always love to hear from our readers! We have tried the nests with sweet potato, celery root, parsnip and carrots. Because those vegetables have a higher moisture content they don’t come out as crispy and the veggies don’t seem to absorb the oil as well so they come out oily. If you want to try them, we would recommend reducing the amount of oil in half and do not expect the same crispy texture. Also watch the different vegetables because they can burn easier that potatoes, we don’t remember exactly the cooking time. Hope it helps.
These were fantastic! I lined the bottom of my muffin tins with circles of parchment paper before adding a generous spray of oil. The nests slid right out of the inverted tins with zero sticking. I also added minced garlic and feta, per the suggestions. I’ll definitely make these again.
Using parchment paper is such a great tip! So glad you enjoyed it! And the addition of garlic and feta makes it even better. Thanks for sharing 😉
I made these today and they are delicious. However, the ingredients says use 4 tbs oil in the potatoes, but the recipe says 4 tsp. I went with tsp vs tbs and they seem ok, but wanted to let you know!
Thank you for letting us know! The recipe calls for teaspoons of vegetable oil for the potatoes and tablespoons of olive oil for the spinach. So you got it right! Sorry about the confusion… Glad you enjoyed them!! 🙂
I made these tonight, with slight changes, to have with our Seder, it was delicious! So glad I made them! Added the recipe to my blog with a link to your page. I look forward to trying out some more of your recipes on your blog! 🙂
Would love for you to check out my blog as well!
http://yummmmmmmm.wordpress.com/
Enjoy the rest of your Passover!
Thank you so much! We really love it when people play with our recipes. Glad you enjoyed them! Best of luck with your blog!!!
These look delicious. Any idea how they freeze? I would love to make them for my purim seudah but I don’t have time to make them that day. Do you think they could be made ahead of time and frozen?
Hi Dvora,
We get asked this question a lot. Unfortunately, potatoes don’t freeze well. What we recommend is to make the nest the same day and reheat them at 350 for about 8 minutes, so they can crisp up again. We hope that helps.
Hi. This recipe sounds delicious and looks beautiful. My problem is that I’ll be having Seder guests who are gluten-free and vegan. What, if anything, can I use instead of the eggs? Thanks!
Hi Jackie,
The recipe as is, is already gluten free. Now for a vegan alternative, we have two suggestions: you can make some “creamed” spinach, made with some almond milk and thickened with a little bit of tapioca or potato starch; you can also fill the nests with our recipe for “Spinach with pinenuts and raisins“. Also, if you need more other ideas, we have a few vegan and gluten free recipes that are suitable for Passover, like Stuffed Potatoes, Braised Fennel and Zucchini “Pasta”. Please let us know if you have any more questions 🙂
Thanks. Lovely idea. I made a vegan version, but I had difficulty building up the sides of the potato nests. Do you press them up higher than the muffin tin hole? Do you have a trick for pushing up the sides without making a “hole” in the bottom of the nest?
Just use a little more potatoes and you will not make a “hole” at the bottom of the nest.
Hi,
This recipe looks amazing! Unfortunately where I live I can’t find kosher frozen spinach. I have improvised before for a different recipe by soaking fresh spinach, but I was wondering what you thought about using frozen broccoli and pureeing it. Do you think that would work or should I stick with making my own frozen spinach? If you think spinach is the best choice, do you have an easy way of using fresh spinach?
Thanks,
N
We think it broccoli would work great in this recipe.
Question: how does this recipe taste reheated? I’m attending a Seder with a vegetarian friend. I’m making a cauliflower-leek kugul (vegetarian, plus I’m eating low carb, so I can’t eat the potato kugul) and I thought about this for my friend. Since I’m driving to the Seder, I wondered about making it ahead of time and reheating it at the party.
Thanks.
Yes you can re-heat them at 350F for about 8 minutes. just make sure that they are at room temperature and not cold out of the fridge.
Thanks for the recipe! These turned out great! My mum is also a vegetarian who cooks a ton of meat she won’t eat for everybody else 🙂
So happy that you could make something special for your mom.
Wow, these look amazing!! I can’t wait to make these, but I have a question. I’m making a dairy-focused dinner soon for my in-laws (date tbd), and I’d love to make these something like a hot spinach dip basket. How well do you think it would work if you added some kind of cheese (i.e. cream cheese, cheddar, maybe both) to the spinach mix?
Hi there!
Cheese actually works great here. Check out the dairy version of this recipe that we created for the Simply Potatoes contest on food.com . Hope this is closer to what you’re looking for! http://www.food.com/recipe/spinach-and-goat-cheese-hashbrowns-nests-475454
Could be fun to call it Moshe Ba Teva (moshe in the basket) just to go with the pesach theme. Cant wait to try it! 🙂
I made these last night as an appetizer. I used a mini muffin tin and got 24 bite-sized nests. They were a huge hit! Everyone loved them. This recipe will be used multiple times a year, not just for Passover.
Thanks for the great recipe. I made this for our seder as one of the entrees…for fun, I made a batch of the larger muffin size and another batch of the mini-muffin size. It was a great accompaniment in terms of taste and appearance to the matzo lasagne I was serving. Since my meal was vegetarian/dairy, I added cheddar cheese to the spinach/egg mix and then sprinkled some parmesan on top. They were a huge hit amongst a largely non-veggie crowd. I plan to make them again next week as an appetizer (mini-muffin size) for a birthday party. So great to have a new hit!
Cindy, thank you for sharing your experience. We are happy that you were able to enhance your passover seder with our recipe.
We don’t get that kind of potato over here (Jerusalem), any recommendations how to adapt the recipe to be crispy with a different type of potato?
Any potato will work, but the potatoes that are sweeter like the ones that are a slightly yellow inside work the best. We will ask our sister what kind of potatoes you have in Israel and we could give you a more specific answer.
We don’t get that type of potato here, can you recommend something to improve the crispiness of other types of potatoes?
I just saw this! I think these sound perfect for appetizers! Forget about Pesach. Maybe in a mini muffin pan? I have to be gluten-free, so these are perfect to bring to parties so I have something to eat! Which isn’t always the case. Thank you!
Are you supposed to peel the potatoes?
Hi Merri,
You can do it either way. If you choose not to peel them, make sure to wash and scrub them thoroughly so there is no sand or grit left. Ler us know if you have any more questions.
Do you think that you could make this into 1 large dish? Maybe 9 x 13 or a pie shape? Maybe it would be less work? Please let me know what you think.
Thanks!
Hi Laurie, thank you for your question. We have not tried this recipe in a larger dish, but we think it could work. Just make sure it’s a non stick metal dish so the potatoes can brown and they don’t stick to the bottom. Let us know how it comes out if you decide to make it.
Just wanted to share that I made these vegan by substituting VeganEgg by Follow Your Heart. I also used Lipton Onion Soup mix for the seasoning because I was low on onion powder. They did not crisp up (due to the egg substitute I assume), but, they were a HUGE hit at my second Seder. I was cooking for omnivores and everyone was raving. It took a while to make them, but I’d definitely do it again. Thank you for sharing!
We like your innovative changes, but the egg substitute is probably why they did not crisp up! We are so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed them…its one of our favorite passover recipes 🙂
Just FYI, if it matters to you, but Lipton Onion Soup Mix contains yeast extract that is cultured from barley, which is chametz. Also, it contains cornstarch and dehydrated corn sweetener, which are kitniyot. Of course Sephardim eat kitniyot, and this year it was widely publicized that some rabbis decided that kitniyot is OK for Ashkenazim as well. Still many Ashkenazim eschew kitniyot during Passover.
I realize that this doesn’t matter to everyone. Personally our family does not keep Kosher, and our seder will sometimes include meat for the omnivores and foods containing dairy for the vegetarians. We do use Lipton Onion Soup Mix to flavor our brisket. But I do realize that to some people this is important.
Okay….this is a reply AND a question? How much spinach do you use for the potato nest bites. I am not only wasting a lot of potatoes but a lot of spinach. This recipe is in-exact. Can we make it a bit more exact? ALSO! Important! CAN YOU FREEZE THESE?
Hi Barbara, we are sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you. This is our most popular recipe and most people really love it. Make sure you are cooking the spinach down to two cups. We are sorry, but you cannot freeze them, they loose their crunch and they are not as good.
Can you freeze these after baking?
Hi Tina,
Unfortunately, potatoes don’t freeze well, but if you read through the comments there are tips on how to make ahead and re-heat