I love potatoes. Chips, fries, hash browns, roasted, fried and especially mashed. I have three potato specific cook books in the house and I’m always keen to try a new recipe. One of the family’s favourites is Feelgood Mint Potatoes. This recipe is a little bit less of that, in that it’s a less complex taste – great as a side at a BBQ.
But tonight I didn’t think they were going to be their usual success.
“I don’t like them,” Miss6 said, staring into the oven.
“Yes, you do,” I assured her.
“No. I hate potatoes,” she said. I knew she wasn’t fond of chicken or corn or mushrooms, but this was a new one.
“Since when?” I asked her.
“Forever,” she assured me.
“So when I put a plateful of chips in front of you….?”
“I eat chips,” she said, like I was a bit of a nong for not keeping up with the conversation. “But not potatoes.”
Eventually worked out (thank you, Tracey) she meant she didn’t like potatoes in their skins. Unless we’re talking wedges.
“Well, how about you just try them and we’ll see?” I suggested.
No. Not gonna happen.
So we all ate these lovely potatoes except for Miss6, who ate the scooped out inside bit and loved it when we told her it was simply a cheesy mash. Successful parenting – it’s all about spin.
Tonight we ate these with a beef roast. Just lovely and so easy – microwave and oven does most the ‘work’.
You will need:
6 medium sized potatoes – washed, lightly scrubbed and pricked with a fork
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cream
200 cheddar cheese – grated
2 tablespoons parsley
STEP ONE: Microwave potatoes until soft in the middle – soft enough for a fork to go in and out easily. Somewhere between 8 and 10 minutes. Or simply oven bake until done – about 1 to 1.5 hours (test with a fork, just as for microwaved).
STEP TWO: Preheat oven to 200 degrees
STEP THREE: Stick potatoes into oven for 10 minutes.
STEP FOUR: Remove potatoes, cut in half and scoop out fleshy goodness into a bowl.
STEP FIVE: Mix butter, cream, cheese and parsley with the potato, then refill the potato skins.
STEP SIX: Return to oven for five minutes and then grill for a further five, until the tops start to go brown in places.
STEP SEVEN: You’re done! How easy is that.
When not typing away over here and checking his stats every two minutes Bruce Devereaux hangs out at his ‘BIG FAMILY little income’ Facebook Page.
’raising a family on little more than laughs’
