And now for something completely different.

I’m not a chef. I’m barely a cook. I do have my moments, though, and today’s lunch was one of them. Even my wife agrees. I thought I’d take a minute and record the recipe for posterity and my own reference, but you can try it if you’re looking for something to do. This is distributed under the WTF license, of course, so do whatever you like with it.

I love potatoes. I’ve even heard tell (from people who make their money on potatoes) that they’re good for you. I don’t really care. I’ve baked, boiled, fried and mashed various concoctions together, but this was my favorite thus far. It’s a standard recipe modified to my tastes, but a good grounds for experimentation. This is basically a meal, unless you’re all into pyramids or whatever the FDA is suggesting these days.

First verse

  • Four large russet potatoes:
  1. Preheat oven to 400°
  2. brush under cold water
  3. rub in olive oil
  4. sprinkle with sea salt
  5. bake at 400° for 1 hour

Second verse, different from the first

Slice the top 1/3 (horizontally) off of each potato. Scoop out the insides of the remaining two thirds with a spoon and place in a large mixing bowl. The other 1/3 can be added, but when this is done you’ll have leftover filling anyway, so make chips out of them. Or just eat them right there. You know you want to.

Add mixing ingredients to bowl of potato innards. I like:

  • 3 Tbsp milk
  • 2 Tbsp sour cream
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped, pan-fried brussel sprouts
  • Grated cheddar cheese to taste
  • A little bit of salt.
  • Pepper. A lot of pepper.
  • Chives

Save some cheese and sour cream for topping the potatoes before baking.

Mash the potatoes and mixing ingredients until consistent, but don’t over-blend. They get gooey if you do, and chunkiness is far preferable. It tastes good. It feels good. Go with it.

Scoop the mixture back into the potato skins you emptied. Fill them up and pile it on, then add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top. Place the resulting potato boats into a baking pan and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes.

Regarding bacon

I made my last batch without bacon for reasons I won’t go into. If you like the bacon, though, put some in the oven for about 15 minutes (or until sufficiently crisp) while you’re baking the potatoes the first time. Take them out and let them cool, then crumble them and include in the mixing and topping lineup.