Recipe: Sliced Baked Potatoes
Source: Great American Recipes
Time: 1:15
Ease: 3
Taste: 5
Leftover Value: 2
Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain!
I love potatoes. I have always loved potatoes. I remember telling my second grade teacher that I wanted to eat mashed potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She told me that I would get tired of eating them after a while. I didn't believe her. I couldn't imagine how anyone could ever tire of the buttery goodness that is mashed potatoes.
But just in case she was right, it's a good thing I never tried it.
Because I still love potatoes, and my heart would be broken if I didn't.
Mashed. Baked. Scalloped. Smashed. Fried.
It doesn't matter. They all make my heart sing.
This particular potato, of this particular recipe, sadly left a little more to be desired. It is my future hope to come up with a fabulous rendition of this "Down the Drain" recipe that will transform it into a "Keep it in the Strainer" option.
*And perhaps, this is the sparking of a new idea for this blog: "Down the Drain" recipes become "Keep it in the Strainer" ones? I'm loving the sound of it.
The start of this recipe makes it seem a rather serious task. After cutting or peeling off undesirable parts of your potatoes, make slices across the short side of the potato spacing them only about a quarter of an inch.
While I disliked this recipe, it did teach me how to make this slicing action happen. Whenever I learn something that I can use in the kitchen, success has been found.
Place a spoon face down on your cutting board and its handle will act as a stopper for the blade. This way you don't end up cutting your potato into chunks instead of a still attached sliced potato.
There were a few slices that went a little too far, creating hinged pieces in my potato (see following picture). Next time I'm going to try sliding the highest point of the spoon's handle with me as I go along with the knife.
Place the sliced potatoes into a baking dish. Open them up a little, but not too much or the areas you cut too far in will stick out like a sore thumb just like.....oh yes, the potato that is front and center in this shot.
Here's a mini confession: I love red potatoes. Sometimes, I will just completely ignore all other potatoes in the grocery store. I know, I need to broaden my horizons, but red potatoes have never steered me wrong.
Sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt.
This part. Ah, this part. It makes me wonder how these potatoes didn't instantly transform into delicious mountains of goodness.
Drizzle 2-3 T of melted butter over each potato.
The recipe gives you the option of sprinkling 2 to 3 T of chopped fresh herbs or 2-3 tsp of dried herbs. I went with a dried mixture because I didn't have anything fresh on hand.
Bake in a oven that has been preheated to 425 for 50 minutes.
Then sprinkle with 4 T cheddar cheese and 2 T Parmesan cheese.
Hello fresh Parmesan cheese. I love you. I'm sorry I wasted you on this recipe. But it was for the sake of experimentation.
My gut says, 'We need more cheese'. Definitely. We will have more cheese next time around.
Place potatoes back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.
If I was rating this recipe on looks alone, I'd give myself a 10 for delicious looking factor.
Maybe it was a bad batch of potatoes. (But they're red, so how could it be?) But maybe not. There is a future for this recipe, just not the one that currently exists. Keep your eyes open for its come back.
No comments:
Post a Comment