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Side Dishes

Christmas Potato Stars and Trees

Potatoes cut into stars and little trees, crisp and gluten-free, perfect for delighting grown-ups and kids during the holidays.
Recipe Christmas Potato Stars and Trees
  • Difficulty Medium
  • Preparation 5 minutes
  • Cooking 25 minutes
  • Servings for 4 people

If you want to surprise your guests with a truly original side dish for the holiday table, this Christmas potatoes recipe is for you. Imagine the joy of serving Christmas potatoes made with new potatoes, crisp to the bite and fragrant with rosemary, cut into stars and little trees that instantly bring the magic of the holidays into your home. These aren’t your usual roast potatoes but an edible decoration: a cheerful recipe, perfect if you’re looking for Christmas side dish ideas that are unique and eye-catching, yet very easy and within everyone’s reach.

Making these rustic holiday potatoes is simple and fun: just choose very fresh new potatoes, cut them into Christmas shapes with small cutters and, finally, flavor them with herbs such as rosemary or your favorite spices. The result? Golden rosemary potatoes with a special flavor and wonderful crunch, perfect eaten straight from the oven. This recipe is also ideal if you’re looking for something that pleases everyone, because these are light potatoes with no deep-frying, naturally free of lactose, eggs and gluten.

You can play with the cooking method: for a lighter option we recommend the oven-baked version, if you prefer speed go for the air fryer, or, for an extra-indulgent result, try frying them. Whether for the Christmas Eve aperitivo, a dinner with friends or the New Year’s Eve dinner, these golden potatoes for Christmas dinner will be loved by grown-ups and kids alike, and can become a lovely family moment if you invite the children to cut out the Christmas shapes with you.

To make your holiday menu even more special, also try other potato recipes such as the Crispy Parmesan Potatoes, the Baked Potato Chips or the original Waffle Fries. And if you want an even more eye-catching idea, we also suggest the Tartlets with Duchess Potato Trees and Spinach.

Try this spiced Christmas potatoes recipe: it’s the tastiest, simplest and most shareable way to fill your holiday table with cheer.

Ingredients for 4 people

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Method

  1. To make the Christmas Potato Stars and Trees, start by peeling the potatoes and washing them carefully under running water; then cut them into slices about half a centimeter (1/4 inch) thick and, using Christmas cookie cutters (such as stars or little trees), cut out your shapes.
    Cutting potato slices into stars and trees with cookie cutters
  2. Transfer the shapes to a large bowl and season them with the extra virgin olive oil, the salt, a sprinkle of black pepper and the spices you like, such as garlic powder and sweet paprika, also adding the needles of the fresh rosemary.
    Seasoning the potato shapes with oil, spices and rosemary
  3. Toss carefully, preferably with your hands or a wooden spoon, so the seasoning is evenly distributed over every single potato, for even flavor and browning.
  4. Take a shallow baking sheet, line it with a sheet of parchment paper and arrange the potatoes on it side by side, taking care not to overlap them so they cook perfectly on all sides.
    Potato shapes in a single layer on a lined baking sheet
  5. Bake in a conventional or convection oven preheated to 200 °C (400 °F) for about 20-25 minutes, or in the air fryer at 190 °C (375 °F) for about 18-20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through; check them and take them out when the potatoes are nicely golden on the outside and tender inside, ready to be served piping hot. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

You can replace the regular potatoes with sweet potatoes for a touch of orange color and a sweeter flavor. For a bolder taste, try adding a pinch of curry powder, turmeric or smoked paprika to the seasoning.

Tips

For an even more indulgent version, you can deep-fry them in plenty of vegetable oil: in that case, don’t season them first, but drop them into the hot oil and salt them only after draining them on paper towels. Remember not to throw away the potato scraps left over from cutting: season them and cook them along with the Christmas shapes for a rustic treat, or use them to enrich soups, cream soups, mashed potatoes or classic pasta e patate.

Storage

You can keep the cooked potatoes at room temperature for a few hours, or in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of days. Just reheat them briefly in the oven to make them crisp again.

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