I created this pretty and delicious Turkey Potato Stars Appetizer for Hanukkah. However, just use a different cutter and serve them for Christmas as well. Cubes of homemade turkey meatloaf are topped with star-shaped portions of mashed potatoes.
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Of course, I couldn’t leave a good recipe alone. So, in my opinion, the finished product needs a bit of holiday magic. Consequently, I brushed a bit of edible gold dust over the tops of the stars. However, obviously, this step is entirely optional. Some may even find it repulsive. The appetizers look pretty enough without the gold dust as well.
Create a simple turkey meatloaf. Mix together one pound of ground turkey with chopped onion, an egg, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. Bake and cool.
When the turkey meatloaf has cooled completely, slice it horizontally and then cut each piece into cubes. Place the cubes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pack homemade mashed potatoes into a cutter of your choice of shape. Release the potato shape on top of a cube of turkey meatloaf. Repeat. Pop the baking sheet into a warm oven for a few minutes to warm up. Remove, transfer to a serving platter and they are party-ready.
Substitute ground beef or a combination of ground beef and pork for the turkey in this recipe. Ground chicken, veal or lamb are also options. Dried oregano, basil and garlic salt were added to this turkey meatloaf. However, use whatever combination of herb and spices to your taste.
Furthermore, create a dipping sauce for this appetizer to serve on the side. Creamy horseradish or a Russian dressing inspired sauce would both work well.
Turkey Potato Stars Appetizer
Ingredients
For the turkey loaf:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 onion
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
For the potato stars:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large potato white or yellow
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons whole milk.
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- vegetable shortening
Instructions
Make the turkey loaf:
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a “’ x 5” loaf pan.
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Place all the in a bowl and mix together thoroughly.
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Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan.
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Smooth out the top of the mixture.
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Place in the one and bake for 30 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Make the potatoes:
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Peel and chop the potatoes into pieces.
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Place in a pot, cover with water, add salt and bring to a boil.
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When the potatoes are tender (you should be able to run a fork through them.) remove from heat and drain.
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Transfer immediately to a bowl. Add the butter and milk and mash.
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Try to remove as many lumps as you can.
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Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and let cool completely.
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When the potatoes have cooled. Stick them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
Assemble:
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Remove the turkey loaf from the pan and cut in half horizontally.
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Use the square cutter to cut small squares out of the turkey loaf pieces and place them on the baking sheet.
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Remove the potatoes from the freezer.
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Grease the star cutter with vegetable shortening.
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Place a portion of the mashed potatoes on a cutting board and flatten it out with the palm of your hand.
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Cut star shapes out of the cold mashed potatoes and carefully transfer the potato stars to the top of the turkey loaf squares.
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Gather the leftover meat scraps and press firmly them into the square cutter to create more squares and also top them with potato stars, using the same method with the leftover potatoes and star cutter.
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Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and plate and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
I used a bit of gold dust to sparkle these up for the holidays, this is options. Sprinkle or brush the dust over the tops of the stars after removing from the oven before serving.
Like this Turkey Potato Stars Appetizer? Also, try some of these other Jewish Holiday recipes:
