Grown-Up Twice Baked Potatoes

The simple potato.  Humble, innocent, content just being potato.  How could you not love that?

There are very specific ways that I like my potatoes – cubed and pan-fried with spices for breakfast, cubed and oven-roasted with dinner, baked with lots of butter and sour cream and cheese, and while we’re at it pancake form ain’t too shabby either.  I am by no means a potato connoisseur but I figure the great things about potatoes is you don’t have to be.

 

They just want some lovin’, you know?

You know what love is to me when I’m pretending to be food?  Love is butter, cheese, a touch of cream.  Love is being perfectly seasoned because no one likes food that’s not perfectly seasoned…but people love food that is.  Love is sherried onions, great cheese, and little crumbles of bacon.  Love is letting your little humble, innocent, and content potato soul shine.

 

So today, it’s Friday and I don’t expect you to cook because I don’t even expect that from myself (or my empty fridge), but I want you to hit up the store and get your own humble potatoes because Saturdays?  Saturdays are for love – and potatoes!

GROWN-UP TWICE BAKED POTATOES

• 4 large Russet potatoes
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup cream (you can also use milk if needed)
• 6 oz goat cheese
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 2 slices of thick-cut bacon
• 2 Tbsp sherry
• 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat your oven to 400.  Wash and dry each potato and poke them a couple times with a fork.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes, turning halfway.  Carefully (really carefully!) remove the plastic wrap and place them in the oven at 400, straight on the rack, for about 20 minutes until a knife inserted slides in very very easily.  Remove and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes until you can handle it.  Meanwhile cook the bacon to crisp over medium low heat.  When it’s crisp remove from the skillet and reserve the drippings.  Saute the onions in the drippings for about 5 minutes, then turn down the heat and cover with a lid.  Every couple minutes give them a stir to make sure they’re not burning; when they started to caramelize and get some color then deglaze the pan with the sherry and cook down until the onions are soft.  Set aside.  Chop the bacon into little crumbles.

 

Now’s the fun part:  cut each potato in half and scoop out the inside with a spoon, reserving the shells on a baking sheet.  Into the potato insides goes 4 oz of goat cheese, the butter, the cream, the Italian seasoning, and the salt and pepper.  Mash and stir until smooth and the butter and cheese is melted in.  Stir in the bacon crumbles.  Carefully spoon the filling back into the shells, pressing down a little with the back of a spoon in the middle to make a little cup for the onions.  Evenly distribute the onions to the top of the potato filling.  Crumble the remaining goat cheese on top of each pile of onion.  Arrange them on a baking sheet and put back in the oven at 400 for about 7-10 minutes, and then turn on the broiler to brown the tops.  Serve hot!

You know, being a grown-up isn’t half bad if it means eating good potatoes and not doing homework.  Yes?