26 July, 2012

Broccoli Cheddar Baked Potatoes

Learn to let things you can’t control…go.

UNKNOWN

The cravings are in full swing. Gone are the days when I can make a meal plan on Sunday for the whole week. With my palette changing by the day, meals are kind of a spur of the moment thing. When the cravings hit and I have enough energy to stand in the kitchen for an hour, it’s go time.

One thing that always sounds good to me is anything involving a potato. I couldn’t decide between Broccoli Cheddar Soup and a Baked Potato, so I decided to combine them both to make…

Broccoli Cheddar Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 Russet potatoes

5 Tablespoons butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I used 3 cups and it was too much)

½ yellow onion

2 cups broccoli, chopped

1 cup carrots, shredded

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash potatoes and then pierce them multiple times with a fork.

2. Place potatoes directly on oven rack and bake for an hour.

3. Heat a Tablespoon of butter over medium heat and sauté onions for about ten minutes.

4. In a medium pot, melt remaining butter over medium low heat and slowly stir in flour.

5. Gradually add stock and simmer on low for ten minutes.

6. Stir in broccoli, onions, and carrots. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

7. When broccoli has reached desired tenderness, slowly stir in cheese.

8. Pour cheese mixture over potato and enjoy!

This meal hit all the right notes for me, cheesy, full of vegetables, and plenty of carb loaded potatoes. It was pretty unusual, but everything I eat these days is kind of strange.

After minutes, the soupy mixture had soaked into the potatoes and made the dish resemble more a mashed potato dish. That didn’t stop me from devouring it.