There are few ways to fill Half Your Plate as satisfying as an old-fashioned twice-baked potato with bacon, cheddar and green onions. You can fill the other half of the plate with your favourite simple salad and enjoy a full-on full-plate meal too. But why stop there? There are lots of ways to stuff a potato with healthy flavour!

The Ultimate Stuffed Potato

SERVES 4

Ingredients

4 large russet baking potatoes
8 thick slices of bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
8 green onions, thinly sliced
8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) of salt
lots of freshly ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 400° and turn on your convection fan if you have one. Wash the potatoes then toss into the oven and bake until tender and delicious, 45 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile brown the bacon. Toss it into a sauté pan or a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add a splash of water to help it cook evenly. Cook, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated and the bacon is deliciously browned and evenly crisp, 10 minutes or so.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice off their tops lengthwise exposing the flesh within. With a small spoon, carefully scoop out and reserve as much potato as you can leaving behind just enough to give strength to the skin.

Mash the bacon, cheese, green onions, salt and pepper into the reserved potato. Stuff the mixture back into the potato skins mounding it up as needed. At this point, you can refrigerate or freeze the works if need be. When you’re ready bake again until hot and delicious, 20 minutes or so.

How To Twist!

Tex Mex? Instead of bacon try browning 8 ounces of medium ground beef with a heaping spoonful of chili powder or taco spice. Stir in cheddar or taco cheese. At the table top with your favourite salsa and lots of fresh cilantro.

Wanna go fishing? Try grilling or pan frying a few filets of salmon to flake into the works with a full wheel of Boursin cheese, a spoonful of Dijon, a chopped pickle or two and lots of fresh dill…

More vegetables? Steam off a head of broccoli florets and stir into the potatoes with or without cheddar cheese.

© Chef Michael Smith – halfyourplate.ca