A few weekends ago, we
decided very last minute that we would have some friends over. There were about
10 people in total attending. Because it was so last minute, we were a bit
restricted to what we could make. Luckily we were used to entertaining, and we
were able to fall on our 'safe' items that we have prepared time and time
again.
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Time: 2 Hours
Items
on the Menu: Chili/Jalapeno
Poppers, Potato Skins, Chicken Wings, Mini Pizzas.
Ingredients
Bought:
Four
packs of Chicken Wings (12 in each)
One
Jar of Franks Hot Sauce
Butter
(Kerrygold)
3
Bags of Potatoes (Microwave in the bag)
2 Mixed bags of Cheddar and Mozzarella (grated)
2 Mixed bags of Cheddar and Mozzarella (grated)
1 Tub
Sour Cream
1
Pack Spicy Chorizo
1
bunch Scallions
2
Packs of Pita Breads
1 Jar
Passata
1 Bag
of Mozzarella
2
Packs of Chillis/Jalapenos (whole)
1 Tub
Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1
Pack of Bacon Strips
We also picked up some
Tortillas and Dips, just to tie people over when they first arrived, as the
food wouldn't be ready right away. It’s important not to have it ready too
early, because nobody is ever on time and the food will be gone cold.
There were two of us
in the kitchen. He started on the wings and chili's, I started on the potatoes
and pizzas. Below is how we prepared and cooked, item by item, step by
step.
Potato Skins:
1. I threw the bag of potatoes into the microwave
as they took 13- 15 minutes to cook. I know some people might not like this
option, so it’s exactly the same to steam or oven cook your potatoes yourself,
but I was caught for time and this was a saviour!
2. While those were cooking, I was prepping the
items that were going on the potato skins. I sliced the chorizo and then cut
each slice in half. I threw these onto a dry frying pan over a medium to high
heat and let them simmer away. You don’t need oil for these because a lot of
oil comes out of the chorizo while cooking. Once these got sizzling, I turned
the heat down low to let them continue to cook but not burn. Once they were
crispy enough, I turned off the heat and removed the chorizo pieces and placed
them in a bowl. I left the chorizo oil in the pan as I use that for the wings
later.
3. I
washed and chopped the scallions and placed these in another bowl. The grated
cheese was placed next to these bowls and a chopping board. That was all the
prep for the potato skins done!
4. Once one bag of potatoes is done, I
carefully (it gets hot) removed the bag from the microwave and placed them on
the draining board. I popped another bag in and started it cooking. Slice open
the bag and be careful as hot steam does come out of the bag initially. Once
this has gone, you can remove the hot potatoes and place them on a chopping
board. I slice these in half - length ways- and again leave them cool a small
bit.
5. Once they are cool enough to touch - scoop out as much or as little potato
as you wish. You can save this potato for the day after or you can mix the
ingredients into this potato and scoop it back in. I choose to scoop out about
half of the potato and leave it for the next day.
6. I
repeat this for the following two bags. Once all the potatoes are cooled,
sliced and scooped - you can start to assemble. (Top Tip - you can turn the
potato halves over, so they skin is pointing up, and brush these with some oil
or butter. Place these in a hot oven for a few minutes until the skin is
crispy. Remove and then you can continue with the assembly as per usual). Place
the potato halves on the oven tray (skins side down) and sprinkle the grated
cheese on top, ensuring there is good coverage over all the potatoes. Then add the
crispy chorizo and scallions. Pop these into the oven and allow to cook until
the cheese is melted and the skins have crisped up. Serve with Sour Cream.
Mini
Pizzas:
We
tried to get a pizza base like we used to find in our local shop in Dublin, but
could not find it in SuperValu in Cork. Therefore we went for the pitta bread
option, and it turned out well.
1. I cut open pitta breads as
you usually would, but sliced these the whole way through. Once these were
open, using a round shaped cutter I cut out circles from the pitta that were
about 2-3 inches wide.
2. I placed these on a tray and
brushed them with oil.
3. I then put these into the
oven and allowed them to crisp up for about 7-10 minutes at 180 degrees. You
might think that these have gone too crispy but they will soften once the sauce
and cheese have been added later so it’s how they are meant to be!
4. While these are cooking, you
can make the tomato sauce. One jar of passata sauce into a bowl. Add two tbsp.
of olive oil and a tbsp. of oregano/basil. Then sprinkle some salt and pepper
in and stir altogether.
5. Once these are out of the
oven and cooled, you can add 2 tsps of the tomato sauce (per mini pizza. Any
more than that and the base will get soggy.
6. Slice or tear the mozzarella
ball and place pieces on your mini pizzas.
7. We added Prosciutto &
Oregano on top and had them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until you are
happy that the cheese has melted. Easy and Delicious!
Chili Poppers:
We were nervous about
people not wanting to eat these, but they were actually the first item devoured
by our guests. Everybody loved them! These are also so easy to prepare and
cook, and are definitely something you can prepare well in advance and just
throw into the oven when your guests arrived.
1. Wash the chili’s (You
can use regular chilies or Jalapenos here) and slice lengthways but only half way or just enough so you can remove the white pieces and some seeds inside.
2. Put the Philadelphia
into a piping bag and pipe the cream cheese into the chilies (fill them right up).
3. Wrap each chili in
bacon strips.
4. Place each of these
poppers onto an oven tray and put in the oven until the bacon has cooked and
crisped up and the cheese has melted. Some of the cheese may overflow out the
top but only slightly.
Told you these were simple!
Chicken Wings:
1. Place your chicken
wings in a deep oven tray, Sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper and cover in
foil.
2. Place into the oven
for 45 minutes at 160 degrees.
3. Remove the foil and
allow the skins to crisp up for another 20 minutes. You can put the grill on in
the oven as well to get extra crispiness.
4. Once these are done,
you can allow them to keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.
5. Pour the Franks Hot
Sauce in the pot and turn on the heat to medium/high heat.
6. Add 100g butter and
the oil from the chorizo that was used earlier. Stir until it comes to a simmer
and then lower the heat to keep simmering.
7. Once the butter is
melted and the chorizo oil is incorporated, the sauce should be hot through it
all.
8. You can pour this
sauce over the wings ensure they are all covered, or you can serve them
separately in case anyone does not like this sauce.
Step by Step how we
prepped the 4 items above that night:
Potato Skins
Chicken Wings
Mini Pizzas
Chili Poppers
1. One
bag of potatoes are put into the microwave for 12 – 15 minutes, depending on
what it says on the bag. If you rather steam or oven cook your potatoes, start
this process now too.
2. Chicken
Wings were put into two oven pans, drizzled with oil, and sprinkled with salt
and pepper. Oven temp 160 degrees Celsius. These will cook for 45 minutes to an
hour.
3. Bottle
of ‘Franks Hot Sauce’ was opened and poured into a saucepan. The heat is not
turned on at this stage.
4. Slice
chorizo and chop each slice in half. Throw these pieces into a frying pan (dry)
and leave at a medium/high heat until they start to sizzle. You can lower the
heat and allow them to crisp up. Once complete, remove from the pan and put
into a bow. Leave the chorizo oil in the frying pan as you will use this in a
minute.
5. Wash
and chop your scallions and place in a bowl.
6. Grate
your cheese and place in a bowl/leave the packet of grated cheese next to the
scallions and chorizo.
7. Once
the potatoes are cooked, remove the bag (CAREFULLY as they are hot) and place
on the draining board. Put the second pack of potatoes into the microwave and
start cooking. Slice open the bag, again be careful with the steam that comes
out of the bag, and then remove the potatoes and place in a bowl. Repeat this
for the other two bags of potatoes that are cooked.
8. While waiting for all the potatoes to cook,
you can start on the mini pizzas. Slice open the pitta breads fully, and using
a round cutter cut out circles from the pitta bread. Place all the mini pitta
circles on a tray and brush each one with oil. Put the trays in the oven for 5
to 10 minutes.
9. Prepare the mozzarella and prosciutto pieces
in a bowl on the counter. Place next to a chopping board/preparation plate.
10. Pour the passata into a bowl and add 2 tbsp
oil, 1 tbsp oregano/basil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
11. Remove
the pitta breads from the oven. They should be crispy. Don’t worry if you think
they are too crisp, as they will soften with the sauce and cheese. Remove and
leave to cool.
12. The
Chili Poppers are easy to prepare. Wash the chilis and slice lengthways but not
the full way – just enough so you can remove the white pieces and seeds from
inside. Pipe the philadephia cream cheese into each chili using a piping bag
(make one here). Wrap each chili in bacon strips. Leave in a tray until ready
for the oven.
13. Spoon 2 tsps pizza sauce onto each mini pizza
base and place a piece of mozzarella on top. You can add the prosciutto pieces
and some oregano on top too. Once these are all prepated, place on a tray and
into the oven. These can remain on a tray in the kitchen until ready to cook.
14. The
most time consuming piece is slicing all the potatoes in half and scooping out
the potato. I keep the leftover potato for the following day, but some people
add the ingredients into this and spoon it back into the potato shell. It will
just take a small bit longer to crisp up and can make people a lot fuller
faster.
15. Once
the potato is scooped out, place each half on a tray and sprinkle the cheese,
chorizo and scallions evenly over the potatoes. Cook in the oven until the
cheese is melted and the skins have crisped up. Serve with sour cream. These
are also another item that sits on a tray nicely until ready to pop into the
oven.
16. The
last thing to do, which needs to be done before serving, is the wings sauce.
Pour the Franks Hot Sauce in the pot and turn on the heat to medium/high heat.
Add 100g butter and the oil from the chorizo that was used earlier. Stir until
it comes to a simmer and then lower the heat. You can cover the wings in this
sauce and ensure they are all covered, or you can serve them separately in case
anyone does not like this sauce
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