One Potato, Two Potato...

I bought a bag of russet potatoes two weeks ago, simply because the bag was cheaper at the commissary, than the two potatoes I needed.

And I ended up with a 5 lb. bag of potatoes that I have no use for. 

So, this week I got creative with a plain, old potato. 

Meal #1: Salmon, roasted broccoli & a hasselback potato. 

These were easy, and delicious. I used a pair of chopsticks to sit on each side of the potato, to keep the cuts from going all the way through. 

Hasselback Potatoes

(Recipe adapted from this one.)

Ingredients:

• 2 small baking potatoes
• 2 T. of cold butter; divided 
• Coarse Salt (I used rosemary-basil sea salt)
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Wash each potato well and dry. 
3. Make slices into the potato, about 1/5-1/6" apart. 
4. Cut butter into very small pieces and put in between each potato slice. 
5. Bake for 25 minutes (you will want to use a baking pan with a lip. Trust me...)
6. Remove from oven, melt remaining butter & brush melted butter over potatoes. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and put back in the oven for 25-30 minutes. 

Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside: a perfect potato. 

Meal #2: Mexican Stuffed Potatoes. These. Were. Epic. Oh my Jesus. I never knew that avocado, salsa, and black beans would be so wonderful on a baked potato. It may seem odd, and it's definitely carb heavy (beans and potatoes...), but this was absolutely delicious! I used this as a vegetarian, easy dinner one night, and it will definitely be a regular in my dinner rotation.

Mexican Stuffed Potatoes 
(2 servings)
Ingredients:

• 1 large baking potato
• 1 avocado; sliced
• Black beans
• Pico de gallo
• Shredded cheddar
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Rub olive oil over the potato, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cut 10-12 holes in the potato, and place directly on the oven rack, in the center (put a baking sheet on the lower rack, to collect any drippings).
3. Bake for one hour. 
4. Remove from the oven, slice in half. Fluff the flesh of each side of the potato with a fork, and season with salt & pepper. 
5.  Add a spoonful of beans, the 2 tablespoons of the cheese, half of the avocado slices, and top with pico de gallo.