flavor
A Little Extra
Enjoy second and third helpings of these potato dishes
WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY KATE MORGAN JACKSON
Is there anyone out there who doesn’t love potatoes? While some vegetables can be controversial at the dinner table
(yes, you need to try spinach!), we are always united in potato appreciation. And while you can’t go wrong with French
fries and good old mashed potatoes with melted butter, it’s always fun to shake up the traditional potato recipes.
Smashed
Bacon Potatoes
SERVES 4-6
Cheeseburger Baked Potatoes
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
4 baking potatoes
(Idaho or Russet)
½ pound ground beef
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup cream or half and half
1 cup shredded
cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
1 cup chopped
cherry tomatoes
2-3 leaves of lettuce,
torn into pieces
1 shallot, peeled and
cut into thin slices
Dill pickle relish
18
HOLIDAY 2018 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
INGREDIENTS
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
(your choice as to whether or not to peel them)
4 slices (or more) thick-cut bacon
DIRECTIONS
• Scrub potatoes and pierce several times with a
fork. Microwave until tender, about 10 minutes.
Cool slightly.
• While potatoes are baking, brown ground beef in
a skillet until cooked through. Drain and set aside.
• When potatoes are cool enough to handle but
still warm, cut an oval in the top of each one and
scoop out the insides, leaving the skins intact. Mash
the potato with butter, then stir in the cream. Mix
in half the ground beef and half the cheese. Season
to taste with salt and pepper.
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
½ cup half and half, warmed or at room temperature
DIRECTIONS
• Cut the potatoes in quarters, put them in a large pot
of cool salted water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook until a knife goes into the potatoes easily, about
10-15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
• While the potatoes are cooking, cut the bacon into
1-inch pieces and cook until crispy. Drain on paper
towels.
• Stuff the mashed potato mixture back into the
potato skins. If you want the remaining cheese
melted, sprinkle it over the top of the potatoes and
microwave for about a minute. • Add the butter to the drained potatoes and mash
with a potato masher, a potato ricer or a food mill.
Whatever you do, do not mash them with a food
processor.
• Garnish the potatoes by tucking lettuce pieces
into each one, then topping with remaining ground
beef and cheese, tomatoes, shallot and relish...or
anything else you like on your potatoes. • Stir in the bacon and taste. It will probably be salty
enough with the bacon, but you can add a pinch or
two of salt, if you like.
• Add the half and half and mash again.