Estate Dinners
Trio of Loaded Potato Jackets
The Strategy:
Elevate game night or a casual weekend gathering with a platter of crispy potato skins loaded with three indulgent fillings. Choose from smoky ham and cheddar, a pizza-inspired pancetta and pepperoni combination, or a hearty sausage and baked bean medley. They are easy to prepare ahead and bake up beautifully just as friends arrive.
Ingredients
- 6 large baking potatoes
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 6 ounces ham steak, diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese, about 1 cup
- Sour cream
- Chopped fresh parsley
- 4 ounces pancetta, diced
- 4 ounces pepperoni, diced
- 4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese, about 1 cup
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon prepared pizza sauce
- Chopped fresh basil
- 1 (8-ounce) smoked sausage, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces grated Monterey cheese, about 1 cup
- 1 cup prepared baked beans
- Sour cream
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Pierce the skins of the potato with a fork.
- Place onto a rack in the oven and cook until you can squish the skins without breaking them, about 40 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
- Cool to room temperature.
- Cut in half and remove the pulp reserving it for another use. Leave a ½-inch border of potato inside the skins.
- Brush the insides of the potato with melted butter.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Place on a baking tray and return to the oven.
- Bake until the potatoes are golden and the skins are beginning to crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven. Heap your favorite fillings into the potatoes and place back into the oven to melt the cheese, about 3 minutes more.
- Cook the diced ham in melted butter in a skillet over medium heat until just golden, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer the ham to paper toweling.
- Place half of the cheese in the bottom of the potatoes.
- Layer with diced ham.
- Cover with the remaining cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is melted about 3 to 5 minutes at 400°.
- Serve with sour cream and garnish with parsley.
- Cook the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer the pancetta to paper toweling.
- Cook the pepperoni in the skillet for 2 minutes.
- Transfer to paper toweling.
- Place half of the cheese in the bottom of the potatoes.
- Layer with crispy pancetta and pepperoni.
- Cover with the remaining cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is melted about 3 to 5 minutes at 400°.
- Stir together sour cream and pizza sauce for dipping and garnish potatoes with basil.
- Cook the diced sausage in olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until just golden, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to paper toweling.
- Place half of the cheese in the bottom of the potatoes.
- Layer with a spoonful of baked beans and top with diced sausage.
- Cover with the remaining cheese.
- Bake until the cheese is melted about 3 to 5 minutes at 400°.
- Serve with sour cream and garnish with cilantro.
The full recipe lives in the Vault
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The Heart of the Table
Placed in the center of the table, this colorful trio represents pure, unpretentious comfort food that brings a smile to everyone's face. Sharing these crispy, cheese-laden bites encourages a relaxed, hands-on dining experience where casual chatter and shared favorites lead the evening.
- a seamless, high-heat resistant silicone spatula in a soft slate gray
- a pre-seasoned double-burner cast-iron grill pan with high ridges
- oatmeal-toned washed linen napkins
- a solid copper balloon whisk to perfectly aerate ingredients
- a large, hand-thrown ceramic serving platter with an organic rim
Neighborly Grace
- THE PREPARATION: Arrange the loaded potato jackets in rows by filling on a large rustic wooden board, interspersed with small bowls of cool sour cream and fresh herb garnishes. Scatter extra chopped parsley and crispy pancetta bits across the board for an abundant, inviting display.
- THE POUR: Serve with a chilled amber ale at 48°F in a classic pint glass to complement the smoky sausage and melted cheese. For a non-alcoholic pairing, offer a sparkling apple cider infused with a hint of rosemary, served cold in a tumbler.
- THE VIBE: Covered Veranda. The cool twilight air and warm laughter create a cozy, laid-back atmosphere perfect for sharing comfort food.
