Last night was our family tree decorating party.  My daughter Rebecca and I decided to make some special hors’doeuvres for the occasion!  It was so much fun, until we had to clean it all up, but I guess that’s part of it!  We made Baked Potato Crisps that were sooo good and I know we all ate too many because we didn’t have any left to snack on today!  I still have the rest of the house to decorate, but at least the tree is up.  It makes the whole house smell like Christmas!

CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATING MENU

Baked Potato Crisps With The Works (recipe follows)

Smoked Salmon with Mustard and Gluten Free Crackers

Dates Stuffed with Fig and Honey Goat Cheese

Roasted Pecans

Assorted Cheeses

Jalapeno Lime Chips with Salsa

Assorted Cookies

The beautiful mugs and striped bowl were hand made by my daughter Rebecca.  You can see more of her work on Instagram.

We didn’t have time to make homemade cookies, but these Peppermint Trees from Dancing Deer Baking Co. were just the perfect bite of sweet!

The potato slice recipe came from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman.  It is one of my favorite cookbooks and Deb also has a blog!

Baked Potato Crisps With The Works

3 Tablespoons butter

3 Russet Potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch cross sections (should yield about 14 slices)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

4 ounces bacon, fried until crisp, and shopped or crumbled

3 Tablespoons minced fresh chives

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Line two large baking sheets with foil (I find this makes later potato removal easier) and generously butter each sheet with 1/2 tablespoon butter.  Arrange the potato slices in one layer on the baking sheets.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and brush the potato tops with it.  Season the potatoes generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Roast them for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown underneath.  Flip, and roast for an additional 10 minutes.

Sprinkle each potato slice with a generous teaspoon of cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Top each crisp with a small dollop of sour cream, bacon crumbles, and chives.

Pictures of the tree coming soon!  What are your traditions for decorating the Christmas Tree?  I hope you’ll let me know in the comment box below!  And don’t forget to sign up to get Crazy Blonde Life in your inbox!