What seems to work best is to scoop out all the potato and mash it up a bit, mixing it with other ingredients. The best time to fix this one is when you have several leftover raw veggies that might otherwise end up in the compost bin (or worse, the garbage). What you actually include in your version of the veggie baker is completely up to you!
Makes four servings.
4 large russet baking potatoes
1 Tbsp. room temperature unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 yellow or red onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli florets, cut up in small pieces1 small zucchini, trimmed and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, cored and diced
2 jalapeno peppers, all seeds and pith removed, diced
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil (or other herbs as desired)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup half-and-half
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated
1/2 cup parmesan or romano cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Remove all "eyes" and rough spots from the spuds, poke 'em with a fork, rub them with butter, wrap in foil and bake in the oven until completely cooked through, about 45 minutes to an hour. The time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes. Stick a knife in; if it slides in and out easily, the flesh of the potato should be done. You might want to remove the foil from the spuds for the last fifteen minutes to crisp up the skins a bit.
While the spuds are baking, put olive oil in a skillet and heat. Add the onion and garlic and green onion and cook for a few minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the other veggies and stir-fry for about five minutes, until cooked through but not mushy. Add the basil and any other fresh herbs at the last minute.
Cut the tops off each spud and scoop out the flesh, leaving just enough so the remaining skins retain their shape. Put all the potato pulp in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, half-and-half, salt and pepper. Coarsely mash the potatoes. (The idea here is NOT to thoroughly "mash" them; you want them to be a little lumpy.) Add the cooked veggies and mix well.
Put all the potato-veggie mixture back into the potato shells. Mix the grated cheeses together and scatter on top of each spud. Put the potatoes back in the oven on a large baking sheet and heat until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly. (You might want to use the broiler for the last couple of minutes if you want the cheese to get nicely browned.)
Serve with a nice green salad and a dry white wine.
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