I've often run into that problem: cooking segments that say the recipe is on their site, but isn't. Seems to happen more often than not.

Thing to keep in mind, though, is that making the potato cups (they're actually called nests) requires a special tool. Imagine two strainers that fit one within the other, which are hinged together. You put the grated potato mixture into the larger one, squeeze the two together, and deep fry the whole thing.

Emeril once did an episode where he made the nexts by sandwiching the potato mixture between two metal ladles, and you can try that.

Once you've got that down pat, there's a whole world of fillings that can be used with the potato nests.

As an alternate possibility, I often make things like vegetable pie in a potato crust. The grated potato crust goes in a full-sized pie plate. But offhand I don't see any reason you can't use it in muffin tins, to make potato cups.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups grated russet potatoes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

Squeeze as much moisture as possible from the potatoes. Combine with the onion, garlic, egg, flour, salt & peppr and mix well.

Oil a 10-inch pie pan and transfer the mixture to it, spreading evenly across the bottom and up the sides, as for a pastry crust.

Bake until well browned around the edges, about 30 mintues. Remove from oven, fill, and bake right away if rebaking.

Obviously, you'll have to experiment to determine how much potato to use in each muffin tin, and how long to bake them.

Also, unlike the deep-fried version, the baked ones can turn soggy if they aren't used fairly quickly.

Here's a recipe I have in my mother's 1952 cookbook.

Potato Nests

Pare 3 large potatoes; cut lengthwise into tiny strips.

Heat in small amount of hot fat until nearly tender, but not brown. Remove from fat, sprinkle with salt and arrange potatoes against sides and bottom of large deep muffin pans, pressing firmly into place. Bake in hot oven (450F) for 15 minutes.

Serve hot filled with any creamed fish, meat or poultry. Makes 6 nests.

Cut potatoes into thin slices as for chips or with lattice vegetable cutter instead of into strips and use as above.

*NOTE: The picture in the book shows really small strips of potatoes.

Hope this helps!

You got me thinking, Khandi. I'm wondering what would happen if you used a vegetable peeler to slice the spuds then proceeded the way you describe? That should work, dontcha think?

BTW, an interesting variation on the theme is to fill potato nests with your favorite mashed potato recipe. This provides a nice textural change, whether the nests have been baked or fried.

I don't see why the potato peeler method wouldn't work. I think that as long as the potato pieces are pressed firmly in the muffin cup, why not!

The picture in the cookbook showed the potato strips REALLY thin and long. I think just cutting the potato that way is lots of work! LOL But it does make a nice presentation.

I've done something similar using a mandoline to cut the long thin potato strips. I think the method I used was to put the potatoes around the bottom of well greased muffin tins, then cover them with individual squares of aluminum foil. They were then baked in a hot (450 I think) oven with the muffin tins inverted and on a baking sheet.

I'll see if I can find the directions/recipe - it was quite a while ago that I made them.

Alexa

That was my first thought, Alexa. But so few people have mandolines, even now. Back then they were unheard of in any but commercial kitchens.

I'm guessing, from the fillings Khandi talks about, that these are solid walled. That is, there are enough strips used so that a leak-proof cup is formed. But I'm wondering it an open-weave basket effect wouldn't work too, using the strips to create a latticework? That would be useful for different kinds of fillings; ones that didn't have a runny sauce.

The more I think about these nests, the more intriguing they become.

Have been hunting for a recipe and came across this website. It gives a good idea of how the potato cups could be made, but the complete recipe sounds mighty tasty for a brunch or breakfast menue.

Here is a link that might be useful: Potato Cups with Scrambled Eggs

Gardenlad... from the picture in the book, the nests are lattice-like. I'll see if I can get my daughter's scanner to work and I'll scan the picture to post it here (the pic is in black and white).

I scanned the picture but don't know how to include it here. I have the pic saved in Word but "paste and copy" doesn't work here. Any suggestions?

To post a picture in these forums it first has to be uploaded to a "picture sharing site" on the web. There is one at the GW forums. Up load your picture there and then insert the tag into the body of your posting here.

The way I have always made a potato crust is to mix shredded potatoes with beaten egg and seasonings, press into either a buttered pie plate or muffin cups and bake about 20 minutes until browned. Fill and bake again...or in the case of a cold appetiser, cool and fill.
I like to season the potatoes with a little grated onion then crumble a little crisp bacon, fill with soft scrambled eggs, top with cheese and bake until the cheese melts and all is hot.
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: test site

Khandi, if they were lattice-like, then my bet would be Alexa is right, and they were cut on a mandoline, then laid in place one at a time in, probably, lightly oiled muffin tins.

Sometimes there are special tools that we never get to see. I had a British cooking magazine, once, that had these incredible mushrooms in pastry cages. Turns out there was a special lattice cutter available in Europe, but not here. With it they cut squares of pastry, which then were streteched over the 'shrooms to form the enclosing basket.

Great link, Lisbet. And a key to how much potato per cup. Apparently 1/3 cup of grated does it.

Thanks Linda for the info. I've waited 10 minutes for picture to upload and nothing happens. Maybe I can email the picture to someone and he/she can post it LOL (if anyone is interested to see the picture).

It often takes a while to upload, sepecially if you are on dial up.
Email me the pics...I'll post for you.
Will be gone this eventing so it maybe late or tomorrow.
Linda C

Look here..............

Here is a link that might be useful: Potato nest photo

Oops! Wrong forum!
Thanks Alexa!
Linda C