Potato-Stuffed Mini Peppers

When you yearn for comforting mashed potatoes, all creamy, garlicky, and herb-scented, here is a fun way to make them: Stuffed and baked in mini bell peppers, these delightful morsels make a pretty appetizer, a colorful side, yummy finger food, and a nutritious way to brighten your table. Special equipment needed: potato ricer and grapefruit knife.

Makes about 35.

Ingredients:

3 pounds mini bell peppers

1 cup low-fat plant-based milk

1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 large head dry-roasted garlic

Big pinch ground white pepper

Big pinch ground nutmeg

3 tablespoons shiro (mild white) miso, or to taste

Pinch ground chili pepper (optional)

6 medium russet or yellow potatoes

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Cut off the top of each pepper and remove the seeds with a grapefruit knife.
  3. Add the plant-based milk, sage, rosemary, garlic cloves, white pepper, nutmeg, miso, and chili (if using) in a blender. Blend thoroughly.
  4. Boil the whole potatoes in a pot of water until a knife penetrates them easily, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. While steaming hot, rice the potatoes into the cooking pot. Reheat on low, and then add the blended seasoned milk.
  5. Whip the potatoes with a wooden spoon or whisk until creamy. Add a little more plant milk if they become dry. Taste and correct the seasonings.
  6. Fill a pastry bag with the seasoned potatoes and generously fill each pepper with them. Snuggly fit a handful of the stuffed peppers in each cup of a muffin tin or in 3-inch ramekins. They will shrink slightly as they bake so a tight fit is fine.
  7. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, but begin checking for doneness after 30 minutes. The peppers are ready when they soften and the potatoes toast on top. Serve immediately, grouped in small bowls.