Simple, easy, simple, easy, simple, easy, YUM.
Hey, that was fun! Let’s do it again:
Simple, easy, simple, easy, simple, easy, YUM.
Now do that to do the tune of the little segment in “Do Re Me” when Julie Andrews mixes things up and sings, “So, Do, La, Fa, Me, Do, Re…”
C’mon…you can do it. No one’s watching.
Simple, easy, simple, easy, simple, easy, YUM.
The Sound of Music is my life.
But seriously, speaking of bad names for dishes: Fluffy New Potatoes? Fluffy? Wasn’t that the dog in the Brady Bunch? I really went all out for this one, let me tell you.
Back to the potatoes: Yum. They’re a play on my regular twice-baked potatoes, but I wanted to make them lighter, smoother, and less laden with pesky ingredients such as cheddar cheese and bacon…not that there’s a thing wrong with cheddar cheese and bacon. But these mini-twice baked potatoes are just a nice change of pace from the usual. I like to make a slew of them all at once, then freeze them, unbaked. They’re small, so they microwave easily—just grab however many you need and go for it.
Most importantly, these pass the Marlboro Man Test. He loves them. And call me desperate and pathetic, but that alone gives me a reason to live. (If you’ve ever cooked for a cowboy, you understand.)
Here’s what you’ll need for one batch:
9 or 10 medium to large new potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 garlic clove, pressed
Salt and pepper to taste
*Notice there’s no butter in the above list. Alert the media—the end of the world is drawing near.
This is going to be a quickie recipe—I want to get right to the good stuff.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse and dry the potatoes, then place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and massage to coat. And don’t get too attached—you know how this will end.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Place the sour cream, cream cheese, Monterey Jack, chives, garlic, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Please note that I was doubling the recipe in these photos—I told you I like to make a slew of them!
Cut each potato in half lengthwise.
With a spoon or melon baller, scoop out inside of the potatoes, leaving a very thin rim of potato inside the skin. Add the potato pulp to the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Using a potato masher or fork, gently mash the ingredients together until fluffy and smooth. (Regular twice-baked potatoes are more chunky and lumpy) Taste and adjust the seasoning—be sure to salt it adequately. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells.
I use a small cookie dough scoop to fill the potatoes…but you don’t have to take life that seriously.
Now, what I do at this point (unless it’s dinnertime already) is flash freeze the potatoes: I stick the pan in the freezer, uncovered, and allow them to harden on the outside for about twenty minutes or so. Then I simply throw them into a couple of large Ziploc bags, seal them tightly, and freeze them until I need them.
When you’re ready, bake the potatoes in a 375 degree oven until thoroughly warmed through. The potatoes will soften, “melt”, and fill the potato shells as they bake. Mmmmm.
Serve them with yesterday’s Ranch Style Chicken. It’ll make your kids, your spouse, your parents, or your Orkin man very, very happy.
Cross my heart.
Next recipe: “My Most Favorite Hamburger of All Time”.
