the betsy blog

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Scrub potatoes clean and allow them to dry (dry huh? well, missed that line, that explains a few things…). With a paper towel (or just with your hands) rub the skin of the potatoes with 2 tablespoons canola oil so that they’re nice and moist.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until skin is crisp and potatoes are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan and allow to cool until you can handle the potatoes.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides (move to another bowl for your other and get ready to mash!), leaving a little bit of potato in the skins. Melt the butter with 2 tablespoons canola oil, then brush both the outside and the inside of the potatoes. Sprinkle the inside lightly with salt. Place potato halves face-down and return to the oven for 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs (fingers, fork, spatula), turn the potatoes over and continue to bake until the edges of the potatoes start to turn golden brown.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle the insides of the potato skins with cheddar, then sprinkle on the chopped bacon. Return to the oven long enough for the cheese to melt, about 3 to 4 minutes.

It’s like mashed potatoes. But it’s better and it’s covered in cheese and bacon. There’s no losing here.

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (or all of the insides from the other potatoes)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup milk (don’t use almond milk – just use extra butter, extra sour cream and you’re good to go!)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I actually had fresh garlic, so we used that and it was amazing)
dash cayenne pepper
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
3 scallions, thinly sliced
4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp then crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I used a rectangular dish that’s about 11×7 inches).

Add the potatoes to a large saucepan and cover with cold water (don’t forget to salt the water) (um, or forget. that works fine too). Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until fork tender then drain. Return the potatoes to the same pot and add the butter, milk, sour cream, Greek yogurt, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne. Use a hand mixer to beat the potatoes just until all of the ingredients have been incorporated and they’re light and fluffy (do not overbeat) (or use your hands… and a masher). Season to taste. Stir in about 3/4 of the cheese, the scallions, and the crumbled bacon until evenly distributed.

Transfer the potato mixture to the prepared dish. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the potatoes warmed through. Garnish with additional scallions and bacon before serving.

Yum. And fair warning – these suckers are a wee bit spicy. But good spicy. You’ll probably like it. 

And last but not least… Meatloaf Muffins!

Meat mixture:

• ½ medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 t. minced garlic
• 2 t. crushed red pepper
• 1 T. Italian seasonings
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 lb. 99% ground white turkey
• 1 lb. 96% lean ground beef
• 1 cup dry oats
• 4 egg whites
• ½ of a large can spaghetti sauce
• 1 T. Balsamic vinegar

Awesome Sauce:

• ½ of the spaghetti sauce from above
• 3 T. Balsamic vinegar
• 1 t. crushed red pepper (or more to taste)
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 T. Honey

1.     Turn the over to preheat at 375 degrees. Chop all the veggies (onion, celery, pepper, carrots) and put in large sauté pan with garlic, crushed red pepper, Italian seasonings and salt/pepper. Add ¼ cup water. Allow to boil at medium heat, stirring every several minutes until translucent, but not over cooked (takes about 5 minutes).

2.     In a large mixing bowl place meat, oats, egg whites, ½ of the can (1 cup) of spaghetti sauce and balsamic vinegar. Mix very lightly with your hands, but do not over-mix, meat could get tough. Add veggies and mix. Spray pan with non-stick Olive Oil spray, and separate evenly into muffin pans. Bake 17 minutes.

3.     While the loaf is in the oven, make the awesome sauce. Use the sauté pan from before: place all ingredients together and allow to boil, reduce heat to low to simmer; stirring occasionally until meat mixture is done. Pour evenly over meatloaf when it comes out of the oven.

I cropped out the bottle of Pam and dish soap from the bottom. But the sour cream on the table stayed. Obviously.

It was great. All of it! The best part? The meatloaf muffins are great for freezing… and now I’ll be eating meatloaf for lunch and dinner the rest of the week! Win!

Okay, I lied, the best part might have actually been that all of these ladies came to cook, laugh, drink wine and share a meal with me. Seriously, how lucky am I?

Answer: totally lucky. And after a great meal, we all settled down and watched Pitch Perfect. Again. It may or may not have been the 4th time this week. But guess what, I still love it. How could you not? Singing, dancing, jokes all around. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. Now. It’s excellent.

So if you’ve stuck through this terribly long post, I’d strongly encourage you to try out any and all of these tasty treats. Especially for a large group. Because it’s a whole lot of food! Plus, dining alone just isn’t as much fun!

Next week… I’m thinking Peanut Butter Chicken? Or Chili and Cinnamon Rolls. I know, I know, the anticipation is probably killing you. But, you’ll just have to practice some patience, you’ll know when I know…