Almost healthy baked or jacket potatoes :)

This is crazy simple to do. I feel like a fraud for posting this but whatever, it’s DELICIOUS and tasted like a million bucks. I wish I had made more!

It’s also healthy because instead of using sour cream, I used strained yogurt which is equally as tasty, if not…even tastier :D

Also, instead of bacon bits, I used fried dried shrimps, which gave the fluffy baked potatoes the saltiness and crispiness it needed. They went surprisingly AWESOME together!

The ingredients:

  • 7 medium sized potatoes
  • 450 grams of yogurt, strained
  • 3 pickled cucumbers/gherkins, finely chopped
  • 15 black olives, finely chopped
  • 1 sprig of spring onion, finely chopped
  • A good handful of dried shrimps, fried with a bit of oil till crispy

# – Firstly, measure 450 grams of yogurt and put them on a teatowel or muslin cloth to drain.

# – Check out my makeshift yogurt draining system :D This process makes the yogurt very creamy….almost like sour cream!

# – Now, clean and dry the potatoes, put them in a baking tray, then stick them in the preheated oven at 230 degrees celcius for 45 minutes. Remember to turn them half way through so they’re all evenly baked.

# – Now, to do the toppings…chop up the rest of the ingredients and place them in individual ramekins: [L-R] Crispy dried shrimps, gherkins, olives, spring onion and a bowl of strained yogurt.

# – To serve, split each potato in half and whack on the toppings :) Yummy baked potatoes, DONE!

The best thing about baked potatoes is that there are no set toppings. You can even use ingredients like baked beans, grated cheeses….even deep fried Spam cubes, teeheeheee.

All you need to do is exercise some brain cells, take some time to browse through your pantry and lastly, use your creativity! Just roll it your way.

Lastly, I implore you to try the drained yogurt as a sour cream replacement…it is absolutely wonderful. Creamy, tart, decadent and believe it or not, healthy!!!!

Bowl-licking good layered potatoes.

Layered potatoes – my favourite way of eating potatoes! It’s creamy, salty & peppery all at the same time. It is comfort food at its highest level. It makes me fat but do I look like I care?

If you’re going to get fat, the only legit way to do so is by eating loads of layered potatoes. And guess what, it’s mind-boggling easy to make them. Cooking skills, what cooking skills? As long as you can slice potatoes without slicing your fingers off, you’re ready to make layered potatoes.

All you need are two medium potatoes, one yellow onion, milk, whipping cream (optional), salt and pepper. Easy peasy!

# – 2 medium sized potatoes – peeled and sliced.

# – 1 onion – sliced.

# – Just in case you don’t know what sliced potatoes and onion look like…here you go.

# – Place a layer of sliced potatoes in your casserole dish.

# – Follow by a layer of sliced onions.

# – Season with salt and pepper evenly & generously. Then repeat – a layer of potatoes, a layer of onions, salt & pepper until the final layer ends with potatoes.

Now the next step is totally optional but I highly recommend it because it gives the dish an exceptional creaminess only good, fat, real whipping cream could give you. The inclusion of whipping cream though would make this dish a bit more expensive (for Malaysian) but if you like dairy like I do….make it happen!

# – Pour whipping cream all over it till just about submerging the bottom layers of potatoes/onions. Skip this step if you’re going for a healthier version.

# – Then, pour milk to fill up just below the uppermost layer.

# – Now stick it in the oven for 1 hour at 180 degrees celcius. You could turn it up to 200 degrees for the last 10 minutes to give it a nice browned top crust :D

It is totally normal for the top to bubble while in the oven. Don’t panic because it’s a good thing!

# – Tadaaaa!

# – The soft, creamy, peppery potatoes. O M G!!!

# – The creamy sauce is to die for!

And the only way to finish the dish is this:

This dish is perfect for parties because it’s so easy to make and you can just stick it in the oven and go about doing other things.

I implore you to try this. You will thank me. You will be eternally grateful to me.