The Savory & Sweet Complexities of The Potato
As part of my personal anti-deliver apps “movement”........I've been really 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). In the past, I would go to work without any food in my belly & just 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 potatoes
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.]
Oh how badly I crave one right NOW. You can’t go wrong with cheesy potatoes. But actually, the great thing about this starchy veggie is not only can it be savory, it can also be sooo 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. To be completely honest I forgot it was actually gonna be PURPLE until I sliced it open & was pleasantly surprised.
Brown sugar, cinnamon, & honey sweet potato -
Okinawa sweet potato
Butter
Brown sugar + cinnamon
Honey
After I popped it in the microwave & slightly mashed the potato, I added a good helping of butter, sprinkled brown sugar + cinnamon and nuked it again. To be completely honest, after a lil taste test I definitely added some more butter & sugar. I can't help that I’m my Grandmother’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.
I can’t fully express how these two ‘tater adventurous have truly opened me up to cooking. In the past, I’ve had a difficult time not only feeding myself but knowing how to grocery shop or improvise in the kitchen. I remember one of the first days of cooking before work, I legitimately felt more energized. Might sound silly, but sometimes I thought food as fuel was a “myth” because it didn't happen for me. But now I know it’s the nutrients that make all the difference.
