We all have those days when we forgot to thaw the meat we wanted to cook! What in the world are we gonna cook now so that it still feels like a proper meal? Stuffed baked potatoes are a great option for those times, especially when you have any kind of leftovers in the refrigerator.
One day, I totally forgot to thaw the meat I wanted to cook for lunch that day (which, if I’m being honest, happens to me very frequently). So, here’s what I did.
So, this is what I did… I opened my refrigerator and stared inside. This is what we all do when we are thinking about what to cook, right? Oh, wait. Maybe we stare at the pantry instead!
Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that we didn’t thaw the meat in the first place!
Do you have any leftovers?
If you have any kind of meat leftover, this is a bonus! If you don’t have much, it wouldn’t be enough to pair it with a side dish, but it’s certainly enough to be used as a topping for stuffed baked potatoes.
If you have bacon, that works too. Or even canned meat! In my case, I had some pork chops from the previous day. I added some bacon, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and green onions, and called it a meal! It was incredibly delicious and easy to make!
One of the best things about potatoes is that you can basically stuff them with anything you want!
The secret for the best stuffed baked potatoes
I used to make a lot of stuffed baked potatoes when I worked as an intern in a French Bistro back in Brazil. They used to cook the whole potatoes in boiling water until they were soft, then they would add the toppings (hot and ready) and just broil the potatoes in the oven to melt and brown the cheese!
These were the best stuffed baked potatoes I had ever eaten in my life!
One time though, I invited a couple of friends over to eat stuffed potatoes and decided to change the recipe a bit. I found what seemed to be one of the best recipes online and tried making them that night.
Guess what? My little potato festival was a total disaster! It took more than 1.5 hours to cook those potatoes in the oven at the suggested temperature and they didn’t turn out nearly as good. Why the heck did I have to try something new that night?
So if you wanna cook the best stuffed potatoes on Earth, please cook them in boiling water first! Then, and only then, pop them in the oven for perfect crispy toppings and browned cheese!
How to make the perfect topping!
You have infinite options when it comes to the toppings of your stuffed baked potatoes! You just have to use your creativity!
You can add the toppings just as they are, which is what I did in this recipe. Or you can make a topping with some sort of sauce to add flavor!
I kept it simple. Here’s what I did:
I diced the left-over pork chops I had from the previous day. Added them just as they were, sprinkled bacon and cheese. I also added 1 tsp of cream cheese to each potato to add moisture and flavor! That was it. Super simple.
All of this, while following the steps I’m sharing in the recipe down below for the potatoes!
Here’s what the French Bistro I worked for used to do:
It was a little more complicated but so worth it! Then, they would add shredded chicken, cream cheese, and heavy cream.
They would make the stuffing in a pot. First, they added the portion of the potato you carve out to the pot. Then, they would add shredded chicken, cream cheese, and heavy cream.
When they were done making the stuffing, they would lay it on the potatoes, top them with shredded cheese, and broil. Then top them with green onions and serve.
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Isabel Freitas
The best way to make stuffed baked potatoes! Learn THE one trick that will make them taste like you've never tried before!
5 minPrep Time
1 hrCook Time
1 hr, 5 Total Time
Save Recipe4.5 based on 2 review(s)
Ingredients
- Potatoes (as many as you want/have for this meal)
- 1/2 tsp butter for each potato
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Green Onions, chopped
- Shredded Cheese
- Toppings of your choice
Instructions
- Boil water in a pot big enough for the amount of potatoes you're making. Cook them until soft. Soft enough that you can easily insert a fork through them, but not so soft that they would break when you insert the fork.
- Once the potatoes are ready, carve out the center making an oval shape. (You can use the portion of the potatoes you carved out to make mashed potatoes later)
- Spread the butter, and sprinkle salt and pepper.
- Add the toppings you prepared, as suggested above.
- Top them with the cheese and broil them for approximately 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.
- Finish the dish with the green onions, and enjoy!
Have you ever made your stuffed baked potatoes cooking them in the boiling water first? Let me know down in the comments how you make yours and how it turns out! Please, share with us any tips that you have for a perfect stuffed baked potato or even for topping ideas! We’d love to hear them!
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