Spinach and Gorgonzola-stuffed Baked Potatoes

July 4th Leftovers

We had leftover food from our July 4th dinner. Cathy decided to make Spinach and Gorgonzola-stuffed Baked Potatoes from a recipe by Ottolenghi. Cathy is not a fan of Gorgonzola Cheese so she substituted White Cheddar Cheese. The potatoes were great. They were a perfect accompaniment to the delicious leftovers!

Spinach and Gorgonzola-stuffed Baked Potatoes

Simple

Ottolenghi

I love the strong blue cheese here, but use any other cheese that you have around or prefer—it’ll work just as well. This is either a meal in itself, to serve two, or works well to serve four, alongside a simple steak and fresh green salad. The walnuts are optional, but they do add a welcome Crunch.

If Esme could have had her way, there would have been more recipes for baked potatoes here. With both apologies and thanks to Esme, this is for those that didn’t get in and the two winners that did.

Serves two as a main or four as a side

2              large russet potatoes

1-1/2       tbsp unsalted butter

3              tbsp heavy cream

2-1/4       Gorgonzola

salt and black pepper

7 oz        baby spinach leaves

2              tbsp walnut halves, lightly toasted and broken up into 1/2-inch pieces (optional)

1.  Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2.  Poke the potatoes a few times with a fork and then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or just over, until the flesh is soft all the way through. Remove from the oven and slice the potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop the flesh out into a medium bowl, setting the skins aside on the sheet for later. Roughly mash the potato with 1 tbsp of the butter, the cream, Gorgonzola, 1/2 tsp ,of salt, and a generous grind of pepper and set aside.

3.  Take the remaining 1/2 tbsp of butter and divide it among the potato cavities. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and return to the oven for 8 minutes, for the skin to become crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside.

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4.  Place a medium saucepan, halfway filled with salted water, over high heat. Once boiling, add the spinach for about 10-15 seconds, just to wilt. Drain the spinach, squeezing out as much of the water as possible. Stir into the potato flesh, to combine, then spoon the mash back inside the empty skins, piled high. Bake for 15 minutes, until the top of the mash is crisp and browned. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the walnuts, and serve.