This year at Thanksgiving, being weight conscious and gluten free conscious, the mother of our youngest daughter came up with the idea of a baked potato bar. It was an instant hit and an easy addition to the traditional holiday dinner. Here is the recipe this Grandma compiled after reviewing many on the internet. The great thing about doing a baked potato bar is that it is wonderful for any family get together where one is cooking for a large group.
Baked potato bar INGREDIENTS 1 russet or Idaho potato per person, plus a few extras Vegetable oil Kosher Salt Butter Sour cream Grated Cheddar Bacon, fried crisp, drained, and crumbled DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If possible, purchase potatoes that are a uniform size so they cook evenly. I prefer russets for baking. Scrub them under water and dry them off. Spray or rub them with oil. Use a metal fork to poke a few holes in each potato. (This keeps them from exploding when they cook. Don’t do this too far ahead of baking or the fork holes will oxidize and turn dark.) Put them on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes, until soft. If you’re baking potatoes ahead for a party, the hot, baked potatoes can be stored in a warming drawer for up to 4 hours. When it’s time to serve, cut potatoes longways across the top of each potato and squeeze the ends together to open the potato.
Place in a chafing dish and serve with bowls of crumbled bacon Sun dried tomatoes chopped Chopped scallions crushed red pepper seasoned salt grated Cheddar Sour cream Jalapeños Butter These are the ingredients that our family chose, but one can be inventive and use blue cheese or goat cheese, or other spices such as chopped fresh basil, cilantro, oregano, or dill. Of course, we baked too many potatoes. Every family has its own recipe for potato pancakes at Chanukah, the traditional food. All require grating potatoes and onions, and even with the newest modern appliances, is a chore. Then, a recipe appeared in the New York Times on December 2, 2015 that solved many problems. Here was a recipe not only to take care of all the cooked baked potatoes, but all of the accompaniments! The recipe for “Mashed Potato Latkes With Dill and Shallots,” by Joan Nathan is modern with its use of coconut oil and panko bread crumbs, not ingredients used by any GG (great grandmother) in our family.
INGREDIENTS 3 large baking potatoes (2 to 2 1/2 pounds) 1 cup minced shallots ½ cup coconut or vegetable oil ¼ cup freshly chopped dill ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley 1 large egg 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste Ground black pepper to taste 1 cup panko bread crumbs, more as needed PREPARATION Heat oven to 400 degrees, pierce potatoes with a fork and place directly on rack. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife easily pierces potatoes. Meanwhile, sauté shallots in 1 tablespoon or so of coconut oil until tender. Add dill and parsley and set aside. Peel potatoes, cut in several pieces and put in a medium bowl; use a potato masher or ricer to break them up. Mix in egg, shallots and herbs, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight. Taking about 1/2 cup of filling at a time, form 10 patties about 1/4-inch thick and 3 inches in diameter. Pour bread crumbs into a wide bowl or plate, and coat the latkes in the crumbs on both sides. Heat a nonstick frying pan and add a thin film of oil, about 1/8-inch deep. When hot, slide in pancakes and cook over medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes on one side, pressing down to gently flatten. Flip latkes and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes, or until crisp and deeply golden. You can make them in advance, placing parchment paper between each layer of patties and reheating in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through. The good news for those of us who were modern enough to add a baked potato bar to the Thanksgiving dinner is that we are half way there to mash potato pancakes for Chanukah or any holiday we share with family! Happy Holidays!
Joy,
Mema
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