Roast that spud!

I love potatoes.  I am such a potato head.  I love them in any way - mashed, roasted, fried, in begedil, in curry puffs.  I love potatoes.  And I am so glad that the Swedes love potatoes as well.  They love creamy potato salad which can be bought in huge tubs at the supermarkets.  They also love them simply boiled or mashed.  And the great thing is they are cheap.  They sell for about SD$0.80 a kg.  Needless to say, potatoes are always on our shopping list.  But I do try to cook them in healthful ways, with as little added fat and cream as possible.

The potatoes that we get here are a bit different from what I was used to.  Back home, I used to reach out for Russet potatoes for anything - soups, mash, fries, roasts.  The potatoes we have here are pale yellow with thin skins.  Some are small but you can also get big sized ones, as big or even bigger than the Russet potato.  The texture when it's cooked is also different.  The potatoes here takes a bit longer to cook.  While Russet potatoes disintegrate if you were to boil them too long, the potatoes here hold their shape.

But last week, when I tried making potato gratin, I sliced and baked them and it was a disaster.  The dish got watery and I think the water came from the potatoes.  Pete's mum also said the same thing.  She said they are much better boiled.  That's the way we should cook the potatoes that we would get from our plants, she added.

On Monday though, when we were out grocery shopping, Pete came across baking potatoes.  They were the same colour as the usual cooking potatoes but much bigger.  We bought four of them to try.  The next day, I had a craving for something called potato skins.  It's twice baked potatoes.  It took quite a while to cook but most of the time was simply waiting for the potatoes to cook through.  Depending on the size of the potato, it could take 1 to 1.5hrs to cook.  Then, after scooping out the fluffy bits inside and adding other ingredients, I spooned the mixture back into the halved potatoes and back into the oven for the top to crisp up.

It took me close to 2 hours to prepare this meal.  But it was easy.  I already roasted the chicken breast, 2 whole kilos of it the day before and kept them in the fridge to use in salads or other dishes.  The first 80 minutes was spent just waiting for the potatoes to cook.  Then, I finished up the dish and put the cold chicken breast into the oven with the potatoes.   While that was crisping up, I made a simple salsa with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions and some parsley, the only fresh herb I have in the fridge.  In 30 minutes, the dish was ready to be served.

Oh and the twice baked potatoes are yummy, crispy skins with lovely fluffy filling.  I love the potatoes here.  They are sweet and fluffy and you really don't have to add too much to make them taste good.

Here is the recipe.  This recipe is for 4 to 6 people but if they are potato heads like me, you can serve two halves per person.

Twice Baked Potato

4 large baking potatoes, Russet are good for this recipe

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk

1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided

a handful of chopped chives or spring onions or parsley

salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp each

Set the oven to 200C. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and scrub the skin. When the oven is hot, put the potatoes on a baking tray, lightly greased, and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender.  Insert a knife into the middle of the potato and if it goes through easily, then it's done.

Cut the potatoes into halves and scoop out the flesh.  Be careful when doing this so you don't break the skins.  Then put the fluffy potato into a mixing bowl and mash well.  Add the butter, milk, half of the grated cheese and the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well. 

Spoon the filling back into the potato boats.  Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and then place the tray back into the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.  Serve immediately.

For a richer tasting filling, you can add 1/2 cup cream or sour cream  For a flufflier, more souffle type filling, you can add one whole egg into the mixture.  You can also add a sprinkling of grated nutmeg, about 1/8 tsp to the filling.  If you want a crispier top, mix the remaining cheese with breadcrumbs (not panko) to top off the potato boats.

The recipe is just a guide.  Have fun and mix in ingredients that you like or take out any that you don't.  It's nice to have a filling of just potato and butter if you like.  But get a good potato. You won't go wrong with this.