It’s another foggy day here, which made me really want twice baked potatoes. Then I remembered I’m trying to be healthy, so I thought I came up with the brilliantly original idea to make twice baked sweet potatoes stuffed with greens. Google informed me I was far from the first to think of this, but as per usual I took my own route of making them.
BEST FOR- chilly days you want something hearty and yummy, and have a bit of time to wait around for it to cook!
MUSICAL PAIRING- “Blood Buzz Ohio” by The National
INGREDIENTS
(Serves 6)
3 large & round russet potatoes
3 large & round sweet potatoes
6 cups broccoli + 1/3 cup water
8 cups kale
2 shallots, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
½ cup nonfat milk (or whole milk if you want it thicker!)
1 cup gruyere & cheddar cheese blend
3 tbs. olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
¼ cup chives
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425° F. While preheating, chop garlic and shallot. Set aside.
- Wash potatoes and pat dry. Poke several holes in the skin of each potato with a fork. Separate the sweet potatoes from the russet potatoes (unless you’re doing only one type).
- Place potatoes on baking sheet and cook for 40-50 minutes, until soft. The sweet potatoes and potatoes may cook at different speeds, so check them individually.
- Thirty minutes after the potatoes are placed in the oven, begin to work on the kale. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Make sure to stir. Add garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Then, add the kale, sprinkle with water and cover. Four minutes later, once kale is wilted enough to stir, add salt, pepper, and 1 tbs. more olive oil. Cover and let cook until fully soft and wilted, for an additional 6 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from heat and place in food processor. Add ½ cup of milk and puree.
- Place broccoli in microwave safe dish with lid. Pour 1/3 cup of water on broccoli and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Chop, and set aside.
- Remove potatoes from oven. Lower oven temperature to 350° F. Once cool enough to handle, slice potatoes in half. The rest of this step is done separately for each kind of potato so get two large bowls and follow the instructions separately. Scoop out the center of the potatoes (which should be nice and soft), leaving about ¼ inch of skin and potato. Put the insides in a large mixing bowl and add broccoli. Mash up the potatoes and broccoli until they become one cohesive mass. Add the kale puree and combine into a creamy mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Return to carved out potatoes on baking sheet. Add each type of potato mixture to its respective type of potato. Put into the oven for 10-15 minutes. Then, broil on high for a final 3-5 minutes to brown.
NOTES
- If you’re only making on type of potato, I recommend this shortcut in place of step 3. Instead of baking the potatoes for 40-50 minutes, microwave them for 15 minutes (they will bake later during the “twice-baked” part of the recipe). Microwave the potatoes in 5 minute intervals, flipping them over twice (total of 15 minutes). Then, for the final step, bake for 20 minutest at 350° F and broil for an additional 3-5 minutes to brown.
- You can easily make these dairy free! Take out the cheese and use almond milk instead of normal milk.
- A fun switch if you’re making both kinds of potatoes is to put the opposite type of potato mash inside the other type of potato!
The Carmel Kama'aina 