Loaded Baked Potato

Loaded Baked Potato

I’ve been missing Edinburg, Texas big time lately.  The people, the small tienditas I used to frequent and the food.

It’s always about the food, que no?

The first day we moved in mi carino drove out to a nearby spot to pick up dinner.  He came back with greasy stained brown sacks loaded with hand tossed gorditas, sopes with frijoles y queso fresco and papas.

Every combo meal in the area came with a Texas sized papa, loaded with cheddar cheese, sour cream, gobs of bacon bits and green onions.

I was accustomed to the tiny containers of beans or rice on the side, but never a papa.

Tired from moving, cleaning and unpacking we set up on the dining room floor to eat.  The girls dug into the gorditas and I reached for the papa.  Big enough to be a meal itself the papa was fluffy, buttery with a salty skin. I ate the entire thing.

And in those 2 years we lived there I ate my way through at least 2 dozen of those hearty papas.

I finally worked up the courage to ask the waitress one day why the meals were served with papas.

She looked at me like I was crazy.

¿quiere algo más?  (Do you want something else?)

No estoy bien gracias (no, I’m good thank you)

Why mess with a good thing…

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Loaded Baked Potato

Author: Vianney Rodriguez

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes
• Butter
• Cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Bacon bits
• Chopped green onions

Instructions

1. Heat the Oven to 425°F
2. Wash, scrub, and dry the potatoes.
3. With hands rub olive oil to cover the entire potato, season with salt and pepper.
4. Poke holes on all sides with the point of a sharp knife or fork.
5. Place the potatoes on baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes.
6. Potatoes are done when interior is soft when pierced and skin is dry.
7. Slice potato: top with butter, cheddar cheese, sour cream, bacon bits and green onions.

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