We've never been able to bake a potato just right. We never knew why until we ran across the directions in a roasting book several weeks ago. Cooking the potatoes at a very high temperature for an hour is the secret.
Alicia always baked her potatoes at 350 or 375 degrees. No wonder they always tasted half-done. They were.Beverly dutifully greased her potatoes and wrapped them in foil. The insides tasted fine but the skins were steamed beyond recognition.
Our goal was to duplicate the potatoes at our favorite steakhouse, with the skin a little crunchy and the middle moist and fluffy. "Real" baked potatoes, we discovered, need to cook at 475 degrees for an hour.
To save time, do a big batch and save some for later. Once you start, it takes only a few extra minutes to scrub and prick 10 potatoes instead of four.
Serve some, then let the rest of the batch cool for terrific potato dishes later in the week.
Today's recipe is a hearty potato soup made from the flesh of the rest of the baked potatoes. Once the potatoes cool, pop them in the fridge. Use the insides for today's recipe and reserve the skins for a quickie potato side the next night. (Just slice the skins and sprinkle with seasoning salt, then broil until browned and heated through.)
-- COOK'S NOTE: To bake a Big Batch of Potatoes, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Scrub 10 (or however many you need) large baking potatoes and prick each potato with a fork twice. Bake, uncovered, directly on the oven racks for 1 hour. Using oven mitts, carefully remove them from the oven. Serve immediately or let rest until cool. Place in a zipper-top bag or covered container, and refrigerate until ready to use. Potatoes may be reheated in the microwave and enjoyed plain or used in the following recipe.
Menu:
Baked Potato Soup
Baby Spinach Leaves with Poppy-seed Dressing
Deli Cheese Bread
BAKED POTATO SOUP
1 tablespoon butter
1 large sweet onion (for 1 cup chopped)
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) fat-free chicken broth
6 already-baked russet baking potatoes (8 to 12 ounces each)
1 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Real bacon bits to taste, optional
Already-shredded cheddar cheese to taste, optional
Melt the butter over medium heat in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Meanwhile, peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the pot as you chop. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Meanwhile, cut the baked potatoes in half.
Add the broth to the soup pot, raise the heat to high, and bring it to a boil. When the soup boils, reduce the heat to medium. Meanwhile, scoop the insides of the baked potato within 1/4 inch of the sides into a 2-quart or larger bowl. (You will have about 3 cups of potato.) Reserve the skins for another use. Using 2 knives, cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces. Add the potato to the pot.
Add the milk and sour cream, and stir well. Do not let the soup boil once the milk is added. Reduce the heat if necessary. Add the salt and black pepper and taste to correct seasonings. Cook 3 to 5 minutes more or until heated through. Serve at once, garnishing with bacon bits and cheese, if desired. Serves 4.
Approximate Values Per Serving: 219 calories (30 percent from fat), 7 g fat (5 g saturated), 25 mg cholesterol, 11 g protein, 27 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 385 mg sodium.
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