stuffed baked potato, berkshire kitchen, berkshire style, berkshire styles berkshire kitchen

Stuffed Baked Potato

by Jack Peele of Jacüterie

Recently I made an extremely delicious Stuffed Baked potato. I filled it full of delicious veggies and also my own No Nitrate Added “Classic” Bacon that will be available to purchase soon from JACüTERIE! It’s very easy to make, and the same basic premise from this recipe can be modified to use any vegetables or meat. I find that canned tuna or salmon is also very good in a stuffed baked potato. The sky is the limit on this one!

Here’s what I used:

2 Large Russet Potatoes
4 Strips JACüTERIE “Classic” Bacon
1 Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Medium Sized Carrots
1/2 Cup Sweet Yellow Corn
1 Cup Green Beans (cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Here is what to do:

First preheat your oven to 400°
While that is heating up take your potatoes and prick them a few times with a fork. Rub olive oil all over them and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.

When the oven is hot put them right in the oven. No need to wrap them in tinfoil or anything, we want this potatoes to get nice and crispy on the outside. Bake them for about 1 hour.

When there is approximately 20 minutes left on the potatoes you can start cooking up the veggies.

First fry the diced bacon until it is nice and crispy. Drain the fat out and add the onions. Fry the onions and bacon together until the onions start getting caramalized. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes before adding in the rest of the veggies. Cook the bacon onion veggie mixture until its all sizzling hot. Set this aside.

By this time your potatoes will be ready, so take them out of the oven. While they are still hot cut a wedge that is approximately 1/4 of the potato out of the top. Carefully scoop all the insides of the potato out into a bowl. Add some butter and some milk and mash it all, as if you were making mashed potato. To this potato mash add in all the bacon veggie goodness, as well as half of the cheese.

Now comes the time for stuffing. Stuff this potato mixture back into the potato. No it will not all fit, but that’s why they are OVER stuffed!! You want this to be spilling out of the top, literally bursting at the seams.
I even put a little of it on the smaller wedge i cut out to make some delicious potato skins.

Finally sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the potatoes and place them back in the oven for about 20 minutes.

They are ready when the cheese has melted and started to go golden on the top!

Jack Peele, proprietor of Jacuterie, will be at the fourth annual Chef and Farmer Brunch on Sunday August 10th in Millerton, to benefit the North East Community Center. Along with chefs, farmers and other purveyors of fine foods, he will share tips and recipes and offer samples of his delicious charcuterie. For tickets and more information about the brunch please call 518-789 4259.