Smoky Chipotle Twice Baked Potatoes
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Growing up in New York City, Bobby Flay's 1st restaurant, the Mesa Grill, was a big deal when it opened in 1991 and almost impossible to get into. I remember waiting for weeks to finally score a table, but boy was it worth the wait. Two years later he won the James Beard Foundation's Best Rising Chef award for the food he made there- it was truly unlike anything anywhere else at the time and it catapulted him to fame as one of the original "celebrity chefs".
But back to his cooking. I was really struck by how he mixed flavors from across cultures with abandon- combos like lime with balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a bean and chili salad, or goat cheese with chipotle peppers in these twice-baked potatoes. He taught me how to remove the "should" rules from my cooking, and think about flavors separately from the cuisines of their origin. It's a wonderful perspective to have and it's led to many a happy "accident"- many of them involving potatoes.
This is basically a recipe (with some tweaks) for his version of the classic twice-baked, or stuffed, potatoes we all know and love. This one hits differently. These offer a creamy, smoky, spicy depth of flavor- instantly jazzing up your weeknight dinners or Saturday soirees. The way they're cut looks nicer too I think, and I wouldn't have thought to do them this way so Bobby gets the credit again. They're pretty potatoes, right?
I've tried mixing these up a bit- blue cheese and Frank's hot sauce, fresh jalapeno chilis with sour cream, cilantro and cheddar, even yogurt with cumin and curry. Potatoes offer a great blank canvas- play a little bit and have some fun!
It will take you no time at all to master the basics of these potatoes along with various variations and garnishes, and I've got no doubt you'll love having them in your head for those "what am I going to make for dinner?" moments.
with smoky chipotles and goat cheese
Ingredients:
6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed, dried and individually wrapped in aluminum foil
8 oz. softened goat cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (whites and greens)
2 Tbsp pureed canned chipotles
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp minced fresh chives
1 Tbsp olive oil (optional)
Method:
Curious about other substitutions for these potatoes? Try bacon and cream cheese, or a mix of feta, yogurt, dill and olives, add vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli with sour cream and parmesan, for side dish potatoes that can easily steal the show.
Shawn Laughlin
I'm a foodie turned entrepreneur. In love with delicious food and the moments spent gathered around a big, beautiful table. When I'm not behind my desk at Caskata you can find me in the kitchen, or my garden behind our newly-renovated mid-century ranch house.
