Loaded Potato Bites

With fall officially upon us I’ve been spending more time with the kids in the kitchen, coming up with tasty ideas that will warm us up all fall and winter and fill our bellies. My littlest adores cooking with me and truthfully, I’ve found that when I let him help me come up with fun recipes, he’s much more likely to really enjoy his meal. That’s why recently we decided to make a fun fall meal that turns baked potatoes on their head and gives them a delicious twist. Our Loaded Potato Bites made with McCain® Smiles® are a tasty dish that’s fun for all ages.

In my home, one of the most asked for fall/winter dishes is loaded baked potatoes. It’s just a comfort food of sorts for the entire family. However, baked potatoes really aren’t all the fun so my little guy and I decided to give them a makeover. We headed out to Walmart to get all the ingredients and while we were there, we started looking for a perfect base that would take our Loaded Potato Bites to the next level. He of course suggested that we use fries and so we found ourselves standing in front of the selection of McCain products that my family has loved for years. With Extra Crispy Crinkle Fires, Seasoned Curly Fries and Craft Beer Battered Thin Cut Fries, we thought we were gonna have a hard time making a selection but once our eyes landed on McCain Smiles Regular Mashed Potato Shapes, we both knew we had found the perfect match.

These fun mashed potato shapes that are available in the frozen potatoes aisle at Walmart were not only the perfect size for our Loaded Potato Bites but they also contain no artificial flavors and are made with real potatoes! Add to that, the fact that they are crazy fun and we couldn’t wait to get home and turn them into a truly delicious dish.

Once we had made our purchase of McCain Smiles from Walmart, we headed home and I put my little guy to work laying them out perfectly on a baking pan while I preheated the oven so that we could cook our McCain Smiles according to the directions on the package.

After we had all of our smiley faced friends laid out perfectly on our baking dish, we cooked them for 6-8 minutes on each side, until they were perfectly golden brown. While the McCain Smiles were cooking, I pulled out the remainder of my ingredients and laid them out.

Once our McCain Smiles were cooked to perfection, we carefully removed them from the oven and sprinkled the shredded cheese over the top.

Then we placed them back in the oven for just long enough to melt the cheese (about 2-3 minutes is all it takes!). After the cheese was perfectly melted over the top of our McCain Smiles, we removed them from the oven and transferred them to a platter. Then, things got really fun. Remember all those toppings I prepared earlier? With our cheesy McCain Smiles ready and waiting we got to work loading up our Loaded Potato Bites.

By adding sour cream, crumbled bacon and diced green onions, we were able to create a fun meal that’s perfect for weeknights, weekends or an afternoon snack. And the best part is, these Loaded Potato Bites are a tasty meal that kids and adults alike go crazy over.

They are just the right size for my guys to grab and the flavors pair so perfectly that you’ll never look at a regular baked potato the same way again. Instead, once you’ve tried these Loaded Potato Bites you’ll know that food can (and should) be fun and delicious!

Now it’s your turn! Don’t let your favorite dishes be boring! Instead, head to Walmart today and stock up on McCain potatoes to make fall and winter meals deliciously fun for the whole family. Start by trying out my crazy good Loaded Potato Bites (I promise, you won’t be disappointed!). Then get creative with McCain Smiles, McCain Extra Crispy Crinkle Fries, McCain Seasoned Curly Fries and McCain Craft Beer Thin Cut Fries! Because the truth of the matter is, when you start any snack or meal with McCain potatoes, the end result is always a smile!

Now tell me, what fun dish will you be creating with McCain Smiles from Walmart?