Loaded Potatoes

Loaded Potatoes are another one of those “whatever you want it to be” dishes.

You take a whole potato, cook it til it's just soft, cut it in half and scoop out the middle. Load it up, put it back in the skin and you have potato magic.

Preparing the Potatoes

As a rule of thumb, I choose 1 medium-large potato per person, so for us that's 5 spuds.

Wash each potato well (don't peel them) and set them on a plate in the microwave.

Microwave on high for 10 minutes.

Potatoes should still be firm but with a bit of give. If they are still hard, microwave for a further 3-5 minutes and check again.

Cut each potato in half and set aside to cool while you prep the filling.

Preparing the filling

Measurements based on 5 potatoes.

6 pieces of shortcut bacon (or you can use ham) - grill or fry to your liking.

½ cup grated tasty cheese

100mls cream or sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the centre of each half, leaving a small amount of potato still lining the inside of the skin.

 

Mix scooped out potato with diced bacon, cheese, cream and seasoning, with a fork, roughly mashing as you mix.

Scoop filling back into the skins, top with a sprinkle of cheese and herbs and bake at 180°C for 5 minutes or grill to melt the cheese.