Potatoes! The French call them pommes de terre, apples of the earth. I adore them. Baked, mashed, fried-- red, blue, yellow: you name it. Potatoes are one of the most satisfying foods ever. Therefore, I am not supposed to eat them. Or anything else with a high glycemic index value, like white rice, French bread, plantains ... Sigh.
Even though potatoes are no longer part of my regular diet, every once in a while I have to indulge in the dish below. It's just SO GOOD, and so simple, even Paris couldn't resist these "apples."
DS loves it, and has been asking for it. So when I announced we were having Idaho Sunrise for dinner, he was PSYCHED! It's a wonderful dish for a busy day, particularly if you're going to be at home being busy. It takes a while to make, but most of that is waiting time, waiting for the potatoes to cook. This is my adaptation on Marion Cunningham's recipe from The Supper Book. It's basically a baked potato with a delicious egg baked on top, and DS loves it so much I've named it after him.
The recipe below makes 3 servings, but you can adjust it up or down easily, since a potato is one serving. For the first time, I made these in individual gratin dishes, and it was much easier! I highly recommend doing it this way if you happen to have some.
Stefan's Idaho Sunrise
3 large baking potatoes (preferably russets)Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)
2 T softened butter + 1 T melted butter
3/4 c. half and half
1 lg. garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs (preferably organic, free-range, extra-large)
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
1. Wash the potatoes well and dry them.
2. Prick them thoroughly all over with a fork, so the steam can escape while these are baking and they'll be nice and fluffy.
3. Rub the potato skins with some olive oil. (Optional, but it makes the skins nice and crisp for enjoying later)
4. Place the potatoes on the oven rack and bake until the skins are crisp and the potatoes are tender when squeezed, about 1 hr. (Use a potholder when you squeeze!)
5. Just before the potatoes are ready to come out of the oven, place the half and half in a glass measure. Using a garlic press, crush the garlic clove into the measuring cup with the half and half. Heat the cream and garlic in the microwave until warmed through.
6. Remove the potatoes from the oven.
Increase the oven temperature to 450 F.
7. Using a potholder to hold the potato, carefully slice a thin lengthwise slice off the top of each potato with a serrated knife.
8. Gently scoop out the flesh inside each potato, leaving a thin shell of flesh. Try to avoid tearing the skin.
9. Place the hot potato flesh into the bowl of a standing mixer. Add 2 T of butter and salt and pepper to taste.
10. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the warm cream and garlic mixture and process until cream is incorporated and the potatoes are mashed and fluffy. You may need more or less cream depending on how loose you like your mashed potatoes. It's easier to stuff the potatoes if the filling is not too stiff.
11. Taste the mashed potato mixture and add more salt, pepper, or butter to taste.
12. Fill each potato shell with mashed potato.
13. Create a well in the center of each potato for the egg.
14. Place each potato into a greased gratin dish, or onto a foil lined baking sheet.
15. Break an egg into a teacup. Pour the egg into the well in the mashed potato in one potato shell, being careful not to let it overflow.
16. Repeat with remaining eggs and potatoes.
17. Spoon 1 t. of melted butter over each egg, and add salt and pepper to taste.
18. Bake for 15-20 min, or until the egg white is set but the yolk is still soft, and the potato filling is beginning to brown.
I often serve these potatoes with a few slices of good cheddar cheese. (I love the skins, so sometimes I save a slice or 2 of my cheese to stuff inside the skin once I've eaten all the egg and mashed potato.)
To go along with the potatoes, I also made some Warp-Speed Tomato Soup. If you can open a can and stir, you can make this soup in about 10 minutes.
I love the flavors of orange and tomato together. This is a basic tomato-bisque style soup.
One note on the tomatoes: the last couple of times I've used them, the Progresso tomatoes were less pureed than I'm used to. If you'd like the soup less chunky, give the tomatoes a quick blitz in the food processor before adding them to the soup, or alternatively, use an immersion blender when they are in the saucepan.
WarpSpeed Tomato Soup
Here are the ingredients: 1 32 oz. can Progresso Crushed Tomatoes
2 c. chicken broth
zest of 1 orange, grated
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 t. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar (if needed)
1. Combine the tomatoes and the chicken broth in a 2 qt. or larger saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or so.
2. Taste; if the tomatoes seem overly acidic, add a pinch of sugar.
3. Add the orange zest and the cream, and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
4. Add 1 t. salt (more to taste, sometimes this soup needs more salt than you would imagine) and pepper to taste.
Serve in warmed mugs.
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