A few years ago my mother passed along a recipe for twice-baked potatoes, but ones that actually looked pretty good. The recipe included lots of vegetables and I liked the idea of combining a vegetable-herb sauce with the potato flesh (that word just sounds so gross to me every time I type it). However, something about the recipe just wasn't quite right. It did not have quite enough veggies and there was a shocking lack of dairy.
After a lot of tinkering I hit on a combination of vegetables and mushrooms that was just perfect. I also mixed sour cream with the potato innards (is that word better?) because sour cream is everyone's favorite part of a baked potato, right? I added a dusting of paprika - 'cause it's pretty - and of course, I had to top it off with cheese. Potatoes and cheese - I think it's the law or something.
Scrub and bake 4 large Russet potatoes and 1 small or medium white sweet potato at 375-400 degrees until fully cooked - a paring knife should pass through the potato easily with no resistance (it usually takes me between 1 hour and 1 hour and 15 minutes). It is very important that the potatoes are cooked fully, as it will be much easier to gut them later on. Set aside until the potatoes are cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, prepare the veggies and sauce.
Veggies
Finely chop several types of veggies for the filling - see pictures below to get a sense of how small I chopped the veggies. Most types of veggies work here, but you should end up with 2 - 2 1/2 cups finely chopped veggies and 1 1/2 cups finely chopped mushrooms. I typically use a combination of asparagus, broccoli, green onions, and zucchini, but you could use many kinds of finely-diced veggies: greens, white or yellow onions, winter squash (saute a bit longer), carrots, etc.
Finely chop 8-10 medium(-ish) mushrooms to get 1 1/2 cups. I highly recommend using the full amount of mushrooms for this recipe. They really add a great depth of flavor to the filling. When finely chopped they aren't too noticeable. If you simply can't tolerate mushrooms (so sad!), increase the amount of chopped veggies.
Saute chopped veggies and mushrooms in 2-3 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes - just enough to start the cooking and get rid of some of the "raw" flavor, but you don't want the veggies to cook too much. Set aside. (If you use squash, cook a few minutes longer.)
Sauce
Combine the following ingredients in a blender or food processor: 2 cloves roughly chopped garlic, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup fresh basil (packed into the measuring cup), 1/2 cup parsley (packed), and 1 cup fresh spinach (packed). This spinach and herb sauce, similar to pesto, will be mixed into the potato and veggie mixture.
Blend or process until smooth (or pretty close). You may need to add an additional tablespoon or two of olive oil to keep things processing smoothly (I usually only have to do this when using a blender but not a food processor). I measured the sauce after blending but forgot to write down the amount (high five!), but I think I ended up with around 1/2 - 2/3 cup sauce.
Assemble
Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and add the potato innards into a large mixing bowl. Save the Russet potato skins and discard the sweet potato skin. Cut and scoop carefully, as you will be reusing the skins. I find it easiest to keep a thin layer of potato along the inside of the potato skin. That helps the potato keep some structure and makes it easier to fill.
Mash the potato innards with the spinach herb sauce, 2 teaspoons salt (plus more if needed), a bit of freshly ground black pepper, and 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (I used 1/4 cup each). The potato mix should be mostly smooth, but some lumps are okay.
Fold in the sauteed veggies.
Fill the potatoes with the veggie and potato mix, dividing evenly among the potatoes. The potato skins should be really full and mounded. You may have a bit leftover (lucky you! - if your name is Micah, eat the remaining potato mix directly out of the bowl while the potatoes are baking and curse yourself later when you've spoiled your dinner). Top with shredded Monterrey jack cheese (about 1/3 cup total) and sprinkle lightly with paprika (optional).
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese and brown and bubbly.
This recipe is a bit time consuming, but they are really tasty and make for a great weekend meal when served with a big salad and leftovers reheat beautifully for lunch the next day. Also, if you make these for friends they will be impressed. Speaking from experience here.
Veggie Stuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes
Serves 6-8
4 large Russet potatoes
1 medium or large white sweet potato
2 - 2 1/2 cups veggies, finely chopped (asparagus, zucchini, onions, asparagus, broccoli, etc.)
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped
2-3 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt (or both)
1/3 cup Monterrey jack cheese, shredded (optional)
Paprika (optional)
Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup + 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil, packed
1/2 cup fresh parsley, packed
1 cup fresh spinach, packed
1. Scrub and bake Russet and sweet potatoes at 375-400 degrees until fully cooked - a paring knife should pass through very easily (about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes). Once cooked, set aside until cool enough to handle.
2. Saute finely chopped vegetables and mushrooms in 2-3 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes until the vegetables start cooking but are not fully cooked through.
3. Combine sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons olive oil if needed. Set aside.
4. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise and scoop out potato innards into a large mixing bowl. Reserve Russet potato skins and discard sweet potato skins. Mash potato flesh with spinach herb sauce, sour cream or Greek yogurt, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Fold in sauteed vegetables. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
5. Spoon potato/vegetable mix into reserved Russet potato skins, dividing evenly among potato skins. Top with Monterrey jack cheese and sprinkle lightly with a bit of paprika (optional).
6. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until the potatoes are heated through and cheese starts to brown.
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