The Savory & Sweet Complexities of The Potato
As part of my personal anti-deliver app “movement”........I've really been into making mini baked potatoes! It’s easy prep, super cheap, and most importantly they’re ultra filling. They pair perfectly as a last minute side dish or a quick snack before work (like I’ve been doing). Typically, I would go to work without any food in my belly & spend money buying unsatisfying snacks hours after I clocked in (not good). But these lil potatoes have really changed the game for me.
Mini Cheesy Baked Potato
Baby red potato
Butter
Shredded 3 cheese blend
Topped with seasoning & parsley flakes
So far I’ve been using the same few ingredients: baby red potato, shredded 3 cheese blend, topped with seasoning & parsley flakes. What ya gotta do is poke the potato about 5-7 times with a fork & pop it in the microwave for approx. 5 minutes. Once it cools down, go ahead and slice it open so you can mash the potatoes around. Add a bit of butter & sprinkle your favorite seasoning blend. Lastly, top it with some shredded cheese before you microwave it again for another 30 seconds. [For a more firm/scalloped result, don't poke holes. Slice a “+” into the potato before microwaving the first time.]
Not exaggerating when tell you how badly I want one right NOW. It was creamy & buttery, melting right in my mouth. The seasoning hit my tongue like twinkling stars. The feeling of euphoria from eating something you made with your own hands is unbeatable. Cheesy potatoes can do no wrong. But the great thing about this starchy veggie is not only can it be savory, it can also be soooo sweet.
A different variation of my recent baked potato craze is subbing for a sweet potato. Recently I was given an Okinawa sweet potato (shoutout Zoe) and my oh my, that color is so rich and beautiful. I forgot it was actually gonna be PURPLE until I sliced it open & was pleasantly surprised.
Baked Sweet Potato -
Okinawa (purple) sweet potato
Butter
Brown sugar + cinnamon
Honey
I popped it in the microwave and mashed the potato, added a good helping of butter, sprinkled brown sugar + cinnamon & nuked it again. To be completely honest, after a lil taste test I definitely added more butter & sugar. I can't help that I’m my Grammy’s baby, she’s brought me up on some irresistible sweet potata’s, I had to get it right. Anyway, after I felt confident with my mixture, I drizzled a stick of honey (shoutout Zoe) on top of the purple beauty. It was criminally divine.
After microwaving it a couple times, the brown sugar ended up caramelizing and crystallizing, which made for a fun eating experience. All the ingredients came together to dance the tango and the purple potato was the dancefloor. I couldn’t have been more satisfied with myself & this delicious treat.
I can’t fully express how these two ‘tater adventurous have truly enlightened me. In the past, I’ve had a difficult time feeding myself, not knowing how to grocery shop, or improvise in the kitchen. I was the UberEats queen, and inherently there’s nothing wrong with that. I just knew my lifestyle needed a change. I remember day #1 of cooking before work, I legitimately felt more energized. Might sound silly, but sometimes I believed “food is fuel” was a myth because it didn't happen for me. But now I know it’s the nutrients & love you put into it that make all the difference.
