Forget Eggs: Deviled Potatoes Are The Satisfying Appetizer Your Next Gathering Needs

Deviled eggs are a Southern favorite and a crowd-pleasing appetizer that's easy to throw together. But if you're tired of the same old eggs, you ought to try giving potatoes the deviled treatment. Despite the popularity of piping hot fries or baked potatoes, cold potatoes have just as many uses beyond the obvious potato salad recipes. They are savory and a perfectly round egg swap that'll impress your guests just as well. Plus, they'll also satisfy plant-based diets. The best part is that making deviled potatoes is exactly the same process as making deviled eggs, minus the pesky egg shell peeling.

For deviled potatoes, pick baby Yukon Golds. These will hold their shape and make for a sturdy shell, while their fluffy pulp bears a striking resemblance to hard boiled egg yolks. You'll start by halving baby Yukon Gold potatoes and boiling them until they're tender but still firm. Once they've drained and cooled slightly, you can scoop out the pulp just as you would the yolks, ensuring the potato skin "shells" remain intact. Mix the potato pulp with your usual deviled egg seasonings (you can also sprinkle in some turmeric; while the pulp is slightly yellow, turmeric will give it a more yolk-like look), and spoon the mixture back into the shells. You can also load the mashed potato pulp into a pastry bag with a textured tip to refill the potato shells if you want more flair, and garnish with fresh herbs. 

We have many different deviled egg recipes that encompass a variety of creative seasonings and garnishes, all of which will work just as well with deviled potatoes. Mayo, Dijon mustard, diced pickles, seasonings like paprika and cayenne, and garnishes like chives are classic. However, you can experiment beyond that. For example, you can swap common herbs like dill and chives for rosemary and pomegranate arils for a Christmas-themed deviled potato appetizer. Rosemary and potatoes are a well-known match made in heaven. Southern-style deviled potatoes could swap chopped dill pickles for sweet pickle relish with a dusting of smoky paprika and a dash of your favorite hot sauce to round out the flavor profile.

You could make southwestern-style deviled potatoes by using sour cream instead of mayo, red salsa instead of mustard, plus diced pickled jalapeños and shredded cheddar cheese. Garnish with a dusting of taco seasoning and chopped cilantro. Alternatively, instead of traditional mayo, you could use homemade chipotle mayo to blend with the potatoes, along with red onions, diced red bell pepper, and kernels of corn. Finish off the appetizer with cotija cheese and slices of avocado. Italian-style deviled potatoes can be made by blending the pulp with ricotta, Italian herbs, garlic, fresh cracked pepper, and parmesan cheese, plus a drizzle of bright and fresh pesto as garnish. For a riff on loaded baked potatoes, you can blend sour cream, butter, chives, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper into the potato pulp until creamy, garnishing the deviled potatoes with a few slices of crispy bacon.