Southwest Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Sara's Tiny Kitchen
by Sara's Tiny Kitchen
4 Each
1 hr 15 min

I think we can all agree that potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, right? I know that when I close my eyes and picture a down home style meal, there is at least one (and usually more) potato on that plate.


Baked, frenched, roasted, hashed, mashed, fried, chipped – however you want to give me potatoes, I will take them!


I don’t know why, but for some reason I had always thought of twice-baked potatoes as “fancy food”. Maybe it’s because it was a food we didn’t have a lot when I was growing up (my mom spent most of my childhood on various low carb diets, so we didn’t have a lot of potatoes at all), or maybe it was the packaging on those Ore Ida twice baked potato boxes in the freezer section at the grocery store – the perfectly shaped ruffles of potato, like the folds of a fancy skirt, were what I assumed rich people ate regularly.


I know now that those potatoes are basically made of the same cardboard as the box they come in but man, was I a sucker for the advertising.


Anyway, luckily now I know that not only are twice baked potatoes delicious, but they’re super easy to make too! The trick is to just let the potatoes cool enough to touch without dropping them. I may or may not have, but definitely have, dropped a potato on the ground because I thought it was cool enough to touch but was unpleasantly surprised to find out that it wasn’t.


HOW TO TELL IF A BAKED POTATO IS DONE

Depending the size of your potato, they can take anywhere from 40-70 minutes to bake fully. I tend to buy large potatoes because I’m a glutton for them, and I generally start at 55 minutes and then check to see how done they are. The skin of the potato should be wrinkly and feel papery, and the potato should give pretty well when you squeeze it. You can also insert a sharp knife into the potato and if it slides in easily, it’s done.


HEALTH BENEFITS OF RUSSET POTATOES

So I know the drill: potatoes are bad for you, you should only be eating sweet potatoes. And sure – sweet potatoes are technically healthier for you, but don’t sleep on a standard russet potato. They’re PACKED with nutrients (mostly the skin, so make sure you eat that) including Vitamin C, Potassium, Phosphorous, Folate and many others. They are a great source of antioxidants. They’re naturally gluten free, which is great for people who have Celiac, or all those people who think they do. They’re incredibly filling, incredibly versatile, and incredibly cheap. So yeah, sweet potatoes may technically be better for you, but I stand firmly behind the humble russet potato.


All that said, this recipe is adaptable, and if you’d rather make it with sweet potatoes, definitely do that. I wouldn’t recommend a Yukon or a red potato – they’re just too small. Although you could do the fillings as toppings if you wanted to make these crispy smashie potatoes instead of twice baked, and that would be super dope. In fact, I think that’s going on my list to try right this minute.


I say that this recipe serves four, and you may be looking at me like I’m crazy, but with the addition of the beans and the corn, this is an INCREDIBLY filling meal. Half of a potato is truly all you need. They reheat really well the next day, so that’s an option as well. A quick note – if you like things a little spicy, go ahead and add another chipotle in adobo. It seems like too much, but with everything else going on in there, the chipotle flavor can get potentially get a little lost in the shuffle.

Southwest Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Recipe details
  • 4  Each
  • Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 70 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 15 min
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Ingredients
Southwest Stuffed Baked Potatoes
  • 2 Large Russet potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2/3 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 chipotle in adobo peppers (with their sauce) minced
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Topping Options
  • Pickled red onion
  • Sour Cream
  • Chives
  • Salsa
  • Queso Fresco
  • Cilantro
Instructions
To Make:
Preheat the oven to 350.
Pierce the potatoes all over with a fork, and then rub a half tablespoon of the oil onto the skin of each potato. Sprinkle with kosher salt, and then place directly on the oven rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour to 75 minutes. You can tell when the potato is done by the skin of the potato - it should appear papery and wrinkly, and the potato will give a little bit when you squeeze it.
While the potatoes are cooking in a medium skillet, cook the onions and corn over medium heat in the half teaspoon of olive oil until the onions are soft and transulcent, and the corn kernels begin to char. If they start to pop, cover the skillet.
Once the potatoes are done, let them cool a bit, and then cut the in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh of the potato, leaving a little bit of an edge. (refer to the post pictures for guidance).
Switch your oven to broil
Take the flesh that you've scooped out of the potato, and in a small bowl mash it with a fork, or potato masher, or you could use a hand mixer. Add the chipotle in adobo, half of the cheese, the beans and the corn/onion mixture.
Place the potato mixture evenly among the four potato shells, and top each of them with an even amount of the remaining cheese.
Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes to melt the cheese, watching closely to make sure they don't burn.
Remove from oven, top with your toppings of choice.
Tips
  • If you wanted to make this a quicker meal, you could microwave the potatoes in the first step, which would cut the time down from 60-75 minutes to about 15. To Microwave: Scrub the potato and pat it dry. Pierce all over with a fork. Place the potatoes in a microwave safe bowl, add a little bit of water to the bottom and microwave for 5 minutes on high. Remove the bowl from the microwave (very carefully, it will be screaming hot), flip the potatoes, and microwave for another 5 minutes on high. Let the potatoes cool for 10 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
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