Twice baked potatoes

Cooking for Occupy Portland

Last fall when I was cooking for Occupy Portland, we needed to make dinner for about a thousand people a night (no kidding!) with whatever jumble of ingredients people happened to have donated. One winner was these twice baked potatoes – they’re cheap, they’re easy to make, and they’re easy to eat with just a fork, or with your hands once they cool off a bit.

Potatoes are really good for you, but the more cheese you put in these, the fattier they’ll be 🙂

How to make twice baked potatoes:

About an hour and a half before dinner, set the oven to 400F, wash the potatoes, poke holes in each potato with a fork, and put the potatoes in the oven. You’ll need about two medium size baking potatoes for each person. Let the potatoes bake for an hour.

When the hour is up, take the potatoes out of the oven but leave the oven on. Cut up a bunch of broccoli, put it in a bowl, cover the bowl with a plate, and microwave for three minutes. Using oven mitts to hold the hot potatoes, cut each one in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Lay the empty skins on a cookie sheet.

Mix the potato insides with (for ten potatoes) 1 cup of whole milk Greek yogurt, 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese, chopped rosemary (which I just cut from the bushes in front of my house), the broccoli, and salt to taste.

Don’t have broccoli? You could also use chopped onions, or cabbage.)

Scoop the potato mixture back into the empty shells, sprinkle a little bit more grated cheese on top, and bake for another ten minutes in the oven. Serve hot with sauteed spinach.

Vegetarian or vegan

Just naturally vegetarian! Enjoy! To make this vegan, leave out the yogurt and cheese, and add some smooth tofu or vegan cheese instead. Try eating them with salsa or guacamole, or both!

Can I keep this for later?

Yes, they’ll be just as good after a couple of days in the refrigerator, if you keep them in a plastic bag or tupperware. Bring the leftovers to work for lunch!

Published by Karen Carr

Dr. Karen Carr is Associate Professor Emerita, Department of History, Portland State University. She holds a doctorate in Classical Art and Archaeology from the University of Michigan. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, or buy her book, Vandals to Visigoths.

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