I have a confession. I could eat baked potatoes every day. In fact, one of my FAVORITE things to do this summer has been to meet my mamma at a local restaurant here for a big baked potato and a massive glass of iced tea. Oh man...if I could do that every day.... When I first got all of my food allergies figured out, I had to avoid potatoes for a while. CHAD (Crushed Hopes And Dreams). Need I say more? Potato was one of the very first reintroductions I made!
A good baked potato is just hard to beat. Here's the problem with them though...I don't like bites that include only dry potato. I like when everything is mixed up together so you get all the flavor AND it's not too dry. These twice-baked potatoes are the answer to the quandary created by regular ol' baked potatoes and those dry, tasteless bites! You're welcome! *big grin*
I won't lie...these do take a bit of effort; however, they are more than worth the time put in. The best part is that you'll have plenty of leftover "potato guts mix" (that's right...you read that right) to eat the next day!
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 medium baking/russet potatoes
- 8 oz. lean beef (I used 93% lean because it was on sale! That's BIG news around here!)
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or to taste...I just add until I think it's enough!)
- 1 cup broccoli florets, finely chopped (I used frozen)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup shredded cheese, divided (I use the same Reduced Fat Colby Jack cheese I use in all my recipes.) Don't forget to notice that it says divided. If you get trigger happy and start dumping it all in, you'll be FORCED to add more cheese later. And we don't want that, do we?! (SNEAKY GRIN)
- 1 container (6 oz.) plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (This isn't as crazy as it sounds...Follow me: this is a great substitution to use in place of sour cream (as called for in the original recipe). I used the Yoplait 2x Protein Greek yogurt - labeled gluten free!)
- Green onions (chives)
- Salt to taste (I use Lawry's Seasoning Salt)
- Pepper to taste (SOOOO good with course ground black pepper)
DIRECTIONS:
- Bake potatoes (You can do this in the oven in the traditional way if you'd like. For faster results (and food in your hungry tummy at an earlier time!), use that lovely piece of machinery: your microwave.)
(1) Pierce each potato with a fork
(2) Place in microwave and cook at 50% power for approximately 20 minutes (until the potatoes are soft); turn once or twice during this time
NOTE: If your microwave has a "baked potato" setting on it....go that route.
- Brown meat in skillet with onion and garlic powder; place in large bowl
- Cook broccoli as directed (if using fresh, add broccoli and water to the skillet you used for the meat, cover, and cook until tender - no sense in cleaning TWO pans!)
- Drain broccoli and add it to the meat
- Cut off the top third of each potato (Save these for another use. Tomorrow I'll be using ours for baked potato skins as a side dish. YUM.)
- Scoop all the insides out of the potatoes and into another bowl.
- Mash the potatoes up with a fork to break up any big clumps (Though not called for, I used just a few sprays of zero calorie butter spray to add a little moisture. You could use water or even a bit of chicken broth if you wanted, or don't use a thing! It's all up to you!)
- Place the shells of the potatoes in a baking dish or on a plate and set aside (It's difficult to make twice-baked potatoes if you don't have anything to twice-bake the potatoes in! *GRIN*)
- Add cheese, yogurt, water, salt and pepper to the potatoes and mix it all together well
- Add the meat and broccoli mixture to the potatoes and mix again
- Finally, fold in the green onions
- Scoop the potato guts back into the potato skins (I would say divide the mixture evenly as the original recipe mentions; however, that would NEVER work. I only used about 2/3 of the mixture because there was no room left for the rest! Save the extra mix to eat for lunch tomorrow...that's my plan!)
- Top each potato with some of the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese
- Put the plate/dish of potatoes back in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes...until the cheese on top is melted (that should be a pretty good indicator that the insides are warm enough).
- Serve it up!
I didn't serve this meal with anything else. We had potatoes and potatoes alone :-) These potatoes are essentially a meal in an edible boat...how could you want for more?!
NOTE: There are SOOOOOOO many variations to this recipe that would be incredibly YUMMO.
- Sauteed mushrooms and onions
- Salsa, pepper jack cheese, and corn
- Beans
- Meatless (double the veggies and cheese)
- Barbeque sauce and pulled pork
- The sky is the limit!!!
I will absolutely be making more versions of this soon. Let me know how yours go...
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