Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Easy Herb Baked Potatoes


 Whenever hubby grills steaks, it's my job to come up with something good to go with them. I had plenty of beautiful tomatoes and cucumbers for a nice salad, but these were gorgeous steaks and deserved some potato love. I do love potatoes with a good steak, and there's the dilemma. Baked potatoes just don't do much for me unless I use a bit of butter load them up with butter, and I'm trying to keep our butter consumption down to reasonable levels. (Everything in moderation, right?)  I bookmarked this potato recipe on Kayotic Kitchen ages ago but had never tried it.

 

 I knew I wanted potatoes, and I had plenty of lovely fresh basil just calling to me. And the recipe fit my requirements for the evening: #1:Tasty. #2: Lower fat than my normal baked potato. #3: Easy. And it turned out to be all three.


 

  The cheese added some extra fat, but not as much as cheese AND butter would have. And the potatoes were very tasty and went well with the steak. The basil added a lovely touch to the potatoes, and I'll definitely make this again- maybe with some rosemary or thyme to go with grilled chicken.

Herb Baked Potatoes
(This is really more of a method than a recipe)
Potatoes- However many your family will eat, or enough to fill your baking dish! I peeled mine, but this recipe would also work well with unpeeled potatoes.
Herbs- I used about 10 chopped Basil leaves in this dish, but Rosemary or Thyme would also be good.
Milk or fat free half and half- 1/4 to 1/2 cup
1 egg
Salt and Pepper to taste (but I recommend lots of pepper!)
A Sprinkle of Cheese- Parmesan, cheddar, pepper jack or whatever your favorite is
Directions:
Wash, peel (or don't peel) and slice potatoes- They don't need to be thin, about 1/4 inch is fine
Arrange potato slices in a buttered casserole dish. (I just had to get some butter in there somewhere, didn't I?) 
Sprinkle on the salt to taste, and plenty of pepper. Make sure some of the seasoning gets down between the potatoes.
Whisk together the milk and egg until well combined. Add chopped basil or other herbs as desired.
Pour over potatoes, making sure that the mixture gets in the nooks and crannies between the potatoes.
Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. Remove foil the last 10 minutes of baking to allow potatoes to brown.
Sprinkle cheese (as much as is desired) over the top and broil until browned and bubbly.

13 comments:

  1. Yum! I love all that cheesy goodness and the fresh basil!

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  2. As long as there is cheese on those potatoes I am sold! Great looking side dish for steak...along with salad it would be a perfect meal!

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  3. Hmmmm, I have some potatoes that need to be used, some basil in the garden, and I always have cheese on hand! I see this in my future!

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  4. These look so cheesy and fantastic! This is something I would love to come home to after a long day at work.

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  5. I love potatoes and I love the simplicity of this dish. Put cheese on top and you have a recipe that will be a hit at my table. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  6. Do you have any plans for a crunchy chicken salad recipe in the near future?

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  7. Ha Ha!!! That would be way too crunchy, I'm afraid. (Besides, pot pie would be much more fitting.)

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  8. Oh YUM! These look like some awesome potatoes!

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  9. Hi SHF,
    Gosh, you've got a wonderful blog here! Such freshness and color. Your photos are just beautiful. And this potato dish sounds utterly delicious to me. My family would gobble it up, without question. So glad to have found you! I look forward to many more visits.
    :) Jane

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  10. Goodness!! This potato dish looks amazing!!! YUM!

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  11. wow those potatoes look absolutely amazing! I just found your blog and am absolutely loving it! You have a new follower!

    xo

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  12. Mmmm! You share some really delicious recipes!

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Thanks for stopping by scrambled hen fruit! I appreciate all of your comments and look forward to reading them.

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