tastemaker — A Southern Fairytale

Twice Baked Potatoes

These are not your typical twice baked potatoes… Oh no, these particular twice baked taters… these are made in the microwave.

Yes. In the microwave and in under 30 minutes.

These twice baked potatoes are my final recipe and video for the 2K10 Tastemaker Challenge. This month our challenge was Nutrition in a Time Crunch. 30 minutes being our time crunch.

I went for super simple, super delicious and super quick. Thus = Twice “Baked” Potatoes

These are MY ingredients.. you could vary them if you’d like.

I also did this with salsa and black beans instead of all that up there ^^^ {drool}

Twice “Baked” Potatoes in Under 30 Minutes

2 medium potatoes (remember 110 calories, naturally fat free!!!)
1/2 to 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (how strong do you like the dijon’ness’)
1/2 a bunch of green onions, chopped
about 2 Tbsp bacon bits
2 C sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt, pepper, garlic to taste (I keep a shaker of 1/3 salt, 1/3 pepper and 1/3 garlic powder handy)
1/2 stick of butter, sliced

1. Microwave your potatoes. I used a handy dandy steamer bag and my two ‘large-side-of-medium’ potatoes took 9 minutes.

2. While your potatoes are ‘baking’ prepare your ingredients:

chop the green onions
slice the butter
grate the cheese
measure the dijon mustard

3. Take your potatoes out of the microwave and allow them to cool for a few minutes, then holding one carefully with a hot pad or towel spare t=shirt cut the “top” off a long ‘side’ of the potato

admittedly, not one of my best pictures… but, you get the idea

4. Scoop the insides of the potatoes out with a spoon, leaving just enough inside so the potato doesn’t collapse, and put the insides into a large bowl.

5. Add in all but 1 C of cheese to the potato bowl and mix and mash and stir until you have everything well combined and then fill the potato skins with the mixture and top with the remaining cheese

6. Cook the cheese topped potatoes in the microwave for another 2 1/2 minutes, or just long enough to melt the cheese.

Take them out of the microwave and give them just enough time to cool off and then devour.

Nathan declared these delicious, tonguegasmic even!

You can watch the recipe in action and bob along to a really fun Potato Song by Cheryl Wheeler by watching my video recipe here and if you’re feeling nice I’d really appreciate you voting/ranking my video by using the stars underneath it.

If you’re linking up your own recipe to Mouthwatering Mondays.. Thanks! I’m glad to have you participating in the first Mouthwatering Monday linky of 2010!! Make sure that you link your recipe post url and not just your generic blog url, leave a comment, link back here in your post and visit the other participants!

Welcome to 2010 y’all!!

Baked Potato Skins with Salmon and Creamy Dill Sauce

Baked Potato Skins with Salmon

This recipe is my first entry into the 2K10 Tastemaker Challenge. Myself and 8 other amazingly talented and fun bloggers have been chosen to compete in a unique and fun recipe, cook-off challenge. For the months of Oct, Nov. and Dec we will receive a secret ingredient (this month was seafood) or theme and we’ll have to create an original fun potato recipe with that theme or ingredient, videotape it, produce it and upload it to YouTube and y’all vote on it!!! (HINT HINT) At the end of it all… they’re sending ALL NINE of us to the BlissDom Conference in Nashville in February and we’ll have a live cook-off there and a cocktail party afterwards where the winner will be announced!!!

My creation for this month had me a little worried because I wasn’t sure how the flavors and textures would work together but it was a truly Tonguegasmic success. Nathan gave it TWO thumbs up and asked that I make them again.. SOON!

These fun appetizers are EASY EASY EASY and the blending of flavors, salty, savory, creamy and textures, crispy, crunchy, creamy and cool.. I cannot say enough about them!

You can watch the recipe in action at my fun, music filled video (psssssssttt.. the stars below are for ranking/voting.. if you would be so kind) It’s only about 2 1/2 minutes long and it shows step by step how to make these.

Watch the recipe live here

Baked Potato Skins with Salmon and Creamy Dill Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 pound (1 fillet) of salmon (I use fresh and cooked it with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil
10 medium gold potatoes
3/4 C sour cream
1 Tbsp Dill Weed
1 lemon

Instructions

Wash the potatoes and then rub them with a mixture of kosher/sea salt and olive oil. Bake them for about 1 hour at 400 F or until they give a little when squeezed
While the potatoes are cooking; mix the sour cream, dill and lemon together well. Put in the refrigerator to chill.
Cook your salmon.
When the potatoes have cooled enough to touch, cut them in half and scoop out most of the insides (save these.) Cut in half again to make wedges, brush the skin with olive oil and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes or until they’re nice and crispy.
Slather a bit of your dill sauce on the inside of the wedge, top with salmon, sprinkle with a bit more dill and serve. These are CRAZY yummy!!!!

http://asouthernfairytale.com/2009/11/02/baked-potato-skins-with-salmon-and-creamy-dill-sauce/

You can watch all the Tastemaker Videos Here on the Potato Goodness’ YouTube Channel (under Favorites)

Playing along with Mouthwatering Monday? Here’s the dish: Sign the MckLinky with your recipe URL and your name. Leave a comment saying Hi, what you think of this recipe… anything. Make sure you visit the other linked up participants and sharing in the food love and make sure you link back to this post in your post so that others can find us and share in the love, too!

YES, I received a gift card to pay for my recipe ingredients and they sent me a nifty little video camera to tape my recipe with. As always… like saran wrap baby… transparent as saran wrap