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Stuffed Red Potatoes

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    Posted: 15 February 2011 at 13:38
Here is a recipe and dish that can serve two purposes....either as an appetizer, or a delicious side for a juicy roasted chicken, lamb chops, or even a steak.
 
The reason it can serve two purposes is that the choice of potatoes makes a big difference in the outcome. New, red potatoes have very thin skin that has a subtle taste and texture. Russet potatoes' skin is much thicker and leathery once roasted, carrying with it a nice, toasty flavor that makes them popular.
 
For an appetizer, the russet will work better, I think. For a side, the tender red potato cooks up just how you need to compliment the main star. More on that later....
 
For now, here's some of the goods that I'm utilizing to make today's dish.
 
 
Scrubbed the potatoes and then foiled them individually, putting them into a 400F oven to bake.
 
Meanwhile, in the food processor I made a pesto with 1 onion, 5 or 6 teeth of garlic, the bag of spinach, the bunch of parsley, the package of basil, about 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 TBSP kosher salt and a couple TBSP of pine nuts I found in the cabinetry. It took a couple batches but all came out fine at the end, with a very nice color...
 
 
Grated about 3 or 4 ounces of Romano cheese-
 
 
I added the cheese to the pesto with about a good teaspoon of pepper. Mixed this well and set aside for now, in the fridge. This is the first half of the filling, there is more to come, but I think it will work best by putting it together later.
 
 
The potatoes took about an hour and ten minutes to bake. We want them until just-tender, not over done. Immediately unwrap them and set aside to cool completely through-
 
 
Once the p[otatoes are fully cooled, I'll continue with the recipe and finished dish.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 February 2011 at 17:35
Once the potatoes are completely cooled, with a sharp knife, cut them in half like so. Then using a spoon, carefully scoop out the innards into a separate bowl. Try to leave between one quarter and one half an inch of potato between above the skin.
 
If you are using russets, you can cut that down thinner, as the skin is much thicker and sturdier.
 
 
Take the potato parts you scraped out and add a cup, maybe slightly more of regular sour cream, then using a potato masher, mix it all in well, making a smooth paste similar to lumpy-mashed-potatoes.
 
 
Then add about a half cup or so of flavored bread crumbs, then mix this in well too-
 
 
Once this is creamed, mix about half of it into the pesto made earlier, enough to increase the volume by 1/3. Use a ladle spoon and mix in by increments to get the ratio right. You don't want too much potato into the mixture.
 
Once you got the ratio right, spoon it into the potato shells. Make a small mound over each, and place them into casserole generously covered with olive oil.
 
Cover with grated parmesan cheese, then put about a teaspoon of flavored breadcrumbs over each potato.
 
 
Into a preheated oven they go.....at 350F, until nice and brown and melty and hot. Final pics later.....
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 February 2011 at 08:05
Allrighty, a mighty fine success for my first-time experiment, plus some added bonus of tips and recommendations for you to get them just the way you want 'em....
 
 
First off, extraordinarily tasty, delicious and everything I could have imagined...plus more. I'm always surprised at how a mixing and melding of simple and basic ingredients can turn out into something so much more. You'd think I would know this by now, but my fascination persists. Maybe that's why I love to cook, still....after all these years.
 
The garlic, the parsley, spinach....all came together in a delicious wave of freshness carried upon the binding of the sour cream and romano cheese within. A perfect combination that you'll miss if the Romano cheese is left out. Ths surface crunchiness of the browned parmesan and breadcrumbs was a perfect counterpoint to the airyness inside, and gave it a nice bit of impressiveness. This is why I think it will make such a fascinating appetizer...several things at play here, and being an appetizer, it allows the eater to concentrate on the item itself and not be distracted by other foods.
 
 
Okay, now for the fine-tuning:
 
Bake at 375 to 400 F. I'd have liked the bottom of the potatoes crustier, and at 350, the tops cooked before the bottoms got brown. Another option would be to use a dark metal roasting pan. That would yield the results I wanted.  I would bake the filled potatoes for about 20 minutes or so first, and then top with the cheese and breadcrumbs, and put back in the oven to brown. That would give the bottoms time to get crusty.
 
The fluffiness of the insides were to die for. Beautifully airy and delicate; they could almost float away by themselves. Mrs Rivet would have preferred hers thicker and more "potatoier". That would be a simple fix, just add all the potato insides mixture to the pesto, instead of half of it. For an appetizer, I think fluffy is the way to go, though for a side, thicker would be a more substantial portion. Either way, there is no right or wrong answer..it is what you prefer.
 
For an appetizer, drape a slice of red pimento over top of each potato, or an anchovy filet, or a couple slices of black olive, mainly for decorative purposes. However, I do think that some pimento would have added a delicious layer of flavor to the whole thing.
 
I think the variations of this recipe are endless. This turned out to be one of those timeless flavors that will go with so much, or nothing else at all.....it is just delicious.
 
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 February 2011 at 16:03
john, those look beautiful and delicious - exactly like something i would want to serve with a lot of different meals!
 
thanks for posting! i will be giving this a try before too long!
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