A top down view on one twice baked potato sprinkled with chives on a Lucy the octopus canapé plate.

Smoky Chipotle Twice Baked Potatoes

Written by: Shawn Laughlin

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Not Your Average Twice-Baked Potatoes

Growing up in New York City, Bobby Flay's 1st restaurant, the Mesa Grill, was a big deal when it opened in 1991 and almost impossible to get into. I remember waiting for weeks to finally score a table, but boy was it worth the wait. Two years later he won the James Beard Foundation's Best Rising Chef award for the food he made there- it was truly unlike anything anywhere else at the time and it catapulted him to fame as one of the original "celebrity chefs".


But back to his cooking. I was really struck by how he mixed flavors from across cultures with abandon- combos like lime with balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a bean and chili salad, or goat cheese with chipotle peppers in these twice-baked potatoes. He taught me how to remove the "should" rules from my cooking, and think about flavors separately from the cuisines of their origin. It's a wonderful perspective to have and it's led to many a happy "accident"- many of them involving potatoes.


This is basically a recipe (with some tweaks) for his version of the classic twice-baked, or stuffed, potatoes we all know and love. This one hits differently. These offer a creamy, smoky, spicy depth of flavor- instantly jazzing up your weeknight dinners or Saturday soirees. The way they're cut looks nicer too I think, and I wouldn't have thought to do them this way so Bobby gets the credit again. They're pretty potatoes, right?


I've tried mixing these up a bit- blue cheese and Frank's hot sauce, fresh jalapeno chilis with sour cream, cilantro and cheddar, even yogurt with cumin and curry. Potatoes offer a great blank canvas- play a little bit and have some fun!


It will take you no time at all to master the basics of these potatoes along with various variations and garnishes, and I've got no doubt you'll love having them in your head for those "what am I going to make for dinner?" moments.

A Potato Side Dish Becomes the Star of the Plate

Twice-Baked Potatoes with a Kick

with smoky chipotles and goat cheese


Ingredients:

6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed, dried and individually wrapped in aluminum foil

8 oz. softened goat cheese

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (whites and greens)

2 Tbsp pureed canned chipotles

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup whole milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp minced fresh chives

1 Tbsp olive oil (optional)


Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 375º.
  2. Bake the individually wrapped potatoes for 1 hour (they should be fork tender). Allow to cool to room temperature. Increase oven temperature to 400º.
  3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut off both ends and hollow out the flesh into a bowl, keeping the shells whole.
  4. To the bowl with the potato flesh, add the goat cheese, scallions and chipotle puree. Mash together until smooth (don't stress about small lumps!).
  5. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the milk, and then beat the liquid into your potato mixture until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Stuff the reserved potato shells with the mixture, then place the potatoes in a baking dish, brush the skins with a little olive oil to crisp them, and bake for 15 min at 400º, or until hot. Garnish with fresh chives or scallions.
The ingredients for the dish are displayed: hollowed out potatoes, a whole scallion. goat cheese and a bowl of pureed  chipotle peppers.

Curious about other substitutions for these potatoes? Try bacon and cream cheese, or a mix of feta, yogurt, dill and olives, add vegetables like cauliflower or broccoli with sour cream and parmesan, for side dish potatoes that can easily steal the show.

Smoky, Sassy Twice-Baked Potatoes are the Side Dish You Need!

Six twice baked potatoes in a blue and cream baking dish next to a stack of Lucy the octopus plates.

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Caskata founder Shawn Laughlin

Shawn Laughlin

I'm a foodie turned entrepreneur. In love with delicious food and the moments spent gathered around a big, beautiful table. When I'm not behind my desk at Caskata you can find me in the kitchen, or my garden behind our newly-renovated mid-century ranch house.

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