I am sharing a recipe from Laurie Bakke’s Cookbook that Carries Experimental Kitchen reviewed a few years back. I thought it’s the perfect time to share Stuffed Pesto Baked Potatoes again now that we are into fall and the holidays not far behind!
Stuffed baked potatoes made with fresh basil pesto and spices; then baked until super creamy and delicious makes a super flavorful side dish.
Can I just start off by saying that I LOVED these potatoes created by my foodie friend Laurie Bakke! When I first got her cookbook I wasn’t sure which recipe I was going to try first.
Should I try the Thai Marinated Cucumber Salad? The Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Basil, Mint, and Sherry Vinaigrette? Or maybe the Stuffed Gourmet Meatloaf?
Decisions. Decisions.
HOW DO YOU MAKE STUFFED PESTO BAKED POTATOES?
For this recipe, you’ll need red potatoes, milk, butter, prepared pesto, granulated garlic, Kosher salt, black pepper, and EVOO.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F; then rub potatoes with oil and salt and bake directly on the rack for 30-45 minutes or until tender all the way through when pierced.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and prepare the potato shells by first cutting a small piece off of each end from the 8 potatoes. Scoop out the potato from the shell and place it in a large bowl.
Then while planning out my dinner one evening, I flipped through the book again and saw these Stuffed Baked Red Potatoes with Basil Pesto…SOLD!
This recipe was a little time-consuming, but TOTALLY WORTH IT! In fact, you could even cook the potatoes the night before to speed up the preparation.
Stand the potato shells up in a muffin tin or oven-safe dish, wide side up, and brush the inside of the skins with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove and set aside.
While the potato skins are in the oven, heat the milk, butter, and garlic over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the milk mixture and the pesto to the potatoes and mash with an electric mixer until the potatoes are stiff.
Finally, spoon potato mixture into shells making sure you stuff them all the way so they will not cave in as they bake. Drizzle each potato with some oil and salt and bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through.
I HIGHLY recommend baking the potatoes in the oven like Laurie suggests and not in the microwave. It really gave the skins a crunchy outer texture that just added to the other wonderful flavors going on here.
Overall, these Stuffed Pesto Baked Potatoes got two thumbs up from everyone in this house. And because it made extra servings, we ate them twice that week. Thanks for a terrific recipe, Laurie! ~Enjoy!
STUFFED PESTO BAKED POTATOES
*Recipe Adapted from Laurie Bakke’s Kitchen
Stuffed baked potatoes made with fresh basil pesto and spices; then baked until super creamy and delicious makes a super flavorful side dish. #sides #potatoes #pesto #bakedpotatoes
Prep Time:10 minutes
Total Cook Time:1 hour 5 minutes
Time:1 hour 15 minutes
COURSE: Side Dish
CUISINE: American
KEYWORD: potatoes
Servings: 8
AUTHOR: Carrie’s Experimental Kitchen
INGREDIENTS
- 8 medium red potatoes
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing inside of shell
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F; then pierce the skins with a fork. Rub potatoes with oil and salt and bake directly on the rack for 30-45 minutes or until tender all the way through when pierced.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and prepare the potato shells by first cutting a small piece off of each end from the 8 potatoes. Scoop out the potato from the shell and place in a large bowl.
- Stand the potato shells up in a muffin tin or oven safe dish, wide side up and brush the inside of the skins with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove and set aside.
- While the potato skins are in the oven, heat the milk, butter and garlic over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the milk mixture and the pesto to the potatoes and mash with an electric mixer until the potatoes are stiff.
- Finally, spoon potato mixture into shells making sure you stuff them all the way so they will not cave in as they bake. Drizzle each potato with some oil and salt and bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through.