Spud-tacular Celebrations: Ring in the New Year with a Potato Platter Extravaganza

Potato Platters are perfect for a party and so 2024! The perfect potato platter is a spread of potatoes from crinkle cut and straight potato fries, waffle fries, potato latkes, baked potato skins and sweet potato fries with a range of sauces. Serve this hot at a New Years Eve party and watch it disappear. This is a pushy idea Dear Reader!

Today I've got the most fun New Year's Party Platter idea for you Dear Reader. We all know the usual cheese and charcuterie platter but how about... a potato platter! I know, it sounds kind of crazy about also kind of delicious right? I tested this out at my Elliott family Christmas and it was a total hit!

I was testing it out in preparation for a NYE get together with friends. My friend Lucy is holding a NYE/Christmas get together at her house and we decided to do a range of platters. You can basically platterify anything-she showed me reels of cocktail platters and cookie platters. There was one platter idea I couldn't get out of my mind and I decided to do a potato platter.

Most of the potato platter can be done with frozen fries: think crinkle cut potato fries, straight potato fries, waffles fries, potato gems, pommes noisettes and sweet potato fries. Basically you want a range of textures and shapes but I also decided to add two home made potato dishes: potato latkes and stuffed potato skins. I served four sauces on the side: tomato sauce or ketchup, aioli, burger sauce and a pot of sour cream & chives.

A potato platter is really easy to cook as most of the frozen potato items cook around the same time, just check the packets and it's usually around 220C/440F for 20-25 minutes turning halfway. That way you have time to make the latkes fresh or if you prefer you can also heat up the latkes and the stuffed potato skins in the last 5 minutes.

I served this potato platter at Christmas Eve dinner at our place. All of Mr NQN's family were coming except his older sister and her fiancé and daughter Aura. We had Mr NQN's mother Tuulikki and his brother Manu as well as Mr NQN's sister Amaya and her husband Laporello and their kids Jett and Finn. We were also having some non-Elliott company as Queen Viv was coming with her son Michael who was driving down from Brisbane to Sydney.

Amaya and her family arrived early, just as I was pulling these out of the oven. The worst thing is when people arrive early because it is chaotic in our house up until go-time as I'm usually trying to take pictures of things like this potato platter. They went for a walk around the block while we fixed everything up and took pictures (which is why the pics are a bit rushed looking and not very nicely styled, sorry!). Then Queen Viv arrived letting us know that Michael who was driving from Brisbane to Sydney would arrive in about 40 minutes so we should go ahead and eat because he would also probably want a shower as soon as he got to our house. Then my phone pinged and it was Tuulikki saying that she and Manu would be 40 minutes late.

"What about my potato platter?" I said sadly, more to myself than anyone else. We decided to sit down and eat anyway and the people that were really late could just join in because sometimes we've waited to eat for up to 2 hours when stragglers finally make it. But then a few minutes later the doorbell rang and it was Tuulikki and Manu. It turns out that she can't really tell time so her 40 minutes was more 5 minutes (alarming in itself, let's unpack that later). Then Michael arrived a minute after!

I was honestly a bit worried that people wouldn't like the potato platter because it is made using frozen chips and fries and the only home made items were the potato latkes and potato skins but it was an absolute hit. The kids loved the novelty and loved being able to choose from lots of different types of fries, nobody was snobbish about any it and the whole thing was vegetarian except for the potato skins. There was not a chip left and I didn't even get the chance to try any - I think I could have cooked more and they would have disappeared. So this is going to be my contribution to the New Years Eve platters (along with a dessert platter)!

So tell me Dear Reader, what do you usually serve on NYE? Would you enjoy a potato platter?

Potato Platter

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes (not including latkes)

Cooking time: 25 minutes concurrently

Serves: 6 people (you can adjust up or down, depending on how many people you have)

• 250g/8.8ozs crinkle cut potato fries
• 250g/8.8ozs straight cut potato fries
• 250g/8.8ozs waffle fries
• 250g/8.8ozs potato gems
• 250g/8.8ozs sweet potato fries
• 200g/7ozs pommes noisettes
• Half quantity of potato latkes (see recipe here)
• 12 Stuffed Potato Skins
• 1/4 cup/60g/2ozs tomato sauce/ketchup
• 1/4 cup/60g/2ozs aioli or mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup/60g/2ozs burger sauce
• 1/4 cup/60g/2ozs sour cream and finely chopped chives

Step 1 - Line a baking tray with parchment that you will also use as your serving tray. Preheat oven to 220C/440F and check instructions on cooking the fries (everything but the waffle fries and sweet potato fries cooked at the same temperature and time). Lay out the fries in a single layer but leaving enough room to add the potato latkes and stuffed potato skins. Cook fries according to directions (around 20-25 minutes turning halfway usually).

Step 2 - Add the potato latkes and stuffed potato skins covering up any gaps. Serve sauces in separate pots.

Potato Latkes

See Potato Latke recipe here

Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Potato Skins

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes (not including latkes)

Cooking time: 25 minutes concurrently

• 6 small potatoes
• 100g/3.5ozs bacon
• 1 cup/100g/3.5ozs grated cheddar or tasty cheese
• 1/4 cup/60g/2ozs sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chives, chopped

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 220C/440F. Line a tray with parchment and wash potatoes well but leave skin on. Prick potatoes 4-5 times with a fork and place on tray. Bake for 30-35 minutes until tender. Reduce heat to 180C/350F and bake the bacon for 10-15 minutes or until crispy. Cool completely. Scoop out the insides leaving a small border of potato around it. If you have a spoon with a serrated edge that helps. Chop bacon up into small pieces.

Step 2 -Place back on the parchment cut side down and bake for 15 minutes, then turn cut side up and bake for 5 minutes if it isn't a crispy shell, sometimes I find the 15 minutes cut side down is enough. Season wtih salt and fill with cheese and bacon and bake for 5 minutes until the cheese melts. Top with sour cream and chives.