Potato nests - crispy, delicious, and cute!
This crispy potato bird's nest recipe is a perfect spring side dish for Easter dinner. It is both on-theme for springtime and really delicious!
The biggest issue I ran into when developing this recipe was how to make potato birds' nests hold their shape and go crispy. After many attempts, I discovered that the key ingredient in a crispy potato bird's nest is ghee or clarified butter. We pan-fry grated potato as a rosti in the ghee before creating a bird's nest shape using a cupcake tray. They aren't too dense, which gives them a wild, architectural look that is really reminiscent of bird's nests and twigs. The variety of potatoes to use in potato bird's nests is very important; they need to have a high starch content (sometimes referred to as 'floury' potatoes) so that they bind together, as this potato bird's nest recipe has no egg or flour, or other binding agents. So this creative recipe is gluten-free and egg free too.
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I like to serve these crispy potato bird's nests at Easter with a roast dinner, which for us is usually lamb!
These Easter potato bird's nests also look especially cute with some shallot 'eggs' inside them, and for me, no roast dinner is complete without some caramelized shallots.
These little nests work really well as an Easter side dish, and if you're planning your Easter menu, check out these canapes that work really well in springtime.
Ingredients
These crispy potato nests are a simple recipe that uses just 3 main simple ingredients that I'm almost certain you have in your kitchen already making them great to serve any time of the day, either as an easter brunch or dinner.
- Potatoes: I used floury white potatoes; a variety like King Edward or Maris Piper works well in this recipe. Do not use waxy potatoes.
- Shallot: I always prefer shallots over onions because they are easy to work with and have a sweeter taste than onions.
- Ghee or clarified butter: In the most popular recipes, you find that they use ingredients such as egg whites, parmesan cheese, all-purpose flour, or egg yolk as a binding agent; my secret zero complications binding is Ghee or clarified butter. Hence I was able to make these crispy potato nests with just 3 ingredients.
- Salt
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and directions.
How to make potato nests
- Peel and grate your potatoes and shallot, ideally using an attachment that grates longer strips so that it gives us more room to create the potato bird's nest shape.
- Season the raw shredded potatoes and shallot with a little salt.
- Heat the ghee or clarified butter in a frying pan or cast iron skillet, and when it is hot and shimmering, add a small, loose handful of grated potato to the pan. We want the ghee hot enough to get a loud sizzle when the potato hits it. Test this first with a piece of grated potato, and if it doesn't hiss at you, it isn't hot enough yet. If the ghee starts to smoke, it is too hot. Take care when cooking with hot oils!
- Depending on the size of your pan, you can add two or three at a time but be cautious of it bringing down the temperature of the ghee too much. Don't make them too thick or dense, as they won't crisp up. There should still be some gaps in the shredded potato that can see the bottoms of the pan through.
- Press down on the potato rosti with a spatula to flatten them, and once golden brown and crispy on one side, flip them over.
- Once they are golden crispy on both sides, transfer them immediately to a cupcake tray or muffin cup and press them gently into the mold using the end of a rolling pin to shape them into oval shape potato birds' nests. You shouldn't need to grease the cupcake tray, but you can.
Hint: This recipe tastes great with other spring side dishes like this truffle asparagus and broccoli puree.
Variations
Here are a few ways you can adapt this crispy potato nest recipe to suit you.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to the grated potato to add a kick!
- Fresh herbs - add some herbs like thyme or rosemary
- Other vegetables- try adding some grated carrot or parsnip
Equipment
You will need the following equipment to make this easy recipe.
- Large bowl
- Frying pan
- Cupcake tray/muffin tin
- Rolling pin (or similar blunt object to help press the potato bird's nests into the cupcake tray whilst they are hot)
Storage
Store any leftovers in the cupcake tray or an airtight container, and reheat in the oven when needed. Good for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tips
- The purpose of using ghee in recipes is to raise the smoke point (or flashpoint) of butter. Clarifying butter separates the milk solids from the water in the butter. Using ordinary butter in this potato bird's nest recipe will not achieve a crispy nest as the butter will burn before it gets hot enough, and therefore it will not hold its shape. So this is very important.
- If you see any wateriness after grating the potatoes, pat them dry using kitchen paper towels so that they can be crispy when fried.
- You can keep any leftover potatoes mixture for future breakfast ideas like hash browns or potato breakfast casserole
FAQ
To shape the potato nest without it falling apart, make sure the shredded potatoes are well-drained to remove excess water. This will help them bind together. Additionally, press the potato mixture firmly into the muffin tray or onto the baking sheet to create a compact nest shape.
Yes, you can definitely use sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes for the nest. Sweet potato nests can add a delicious twist to the recipe and provide a slightly sweeter flavor profile.
For added flavor, consider incorporating finely chopped spring onions or chives into the potato nest mixture. They will add a subtle onion taste and a touch of freshness to the nests.
To prevent the potato nests from sticking to the pan, I used ghee but you can also brush the muffin tray or baking sheet with olive oil or use cooking spray. This will ensure easy removal once the nests are cooked.
Desserts that pair very well with these potato nests
📖 Recipe
Easter Potato Bird's Nests
Equipment
- 1 Vegetable grater or food processor grater attachment
- 1 Large frying pan
- 1 Cupcake tray
- 1 Rolling pin or another round, blunt object
Ingredients
- 300 grams (0.5 lb) Potatoes (must be floury variety)
- 1 Large shallot
- 3 tablespoon Ghee
- Salt
Instructions
- Peel and grate the potato and shallot
- Season the raw grated potato and shallot with salt.
- Heat half of the ghee or clarified butter in a frying pan and when it is hot and shimmering, add a small, loose handful of grated potato to the pan.
- Press down on the potato rosti with a spatula to flatten them, and once golden brown and crispy on one side, flip them over.
- Once they are golden crispy on both sides, transfer immediately to a cupcake tray and press them gently into the mould using the end of a rolling pin to shape them into potato birds' nests. You shouldn't need to grease the cupcake tray, but you can.
- Repeat each step, using more of the ghee as needed to ensure enough fat is in the frying pan.
Kalin says
Love these for easter! It is such a creative idea for potatoes!
Christina's Bread Bakes says
These are so clever! I will definitely be making these for Easter brunch with a baked egg in the center.
Jess says
These look so good!
Gina says
These crispy potato birds nest are so cute and festive. Perfect for Easter!
Shelby says
The simplicity of this recipe was amazing! Kiddos thought they were cute.