Improv Cooking Challenge-Boursin Smashed Red Potatoes

There will be two posts from this Grandma today.  I am also participating in Eating the Alphabet and that gets posted on the 15th this month also.  Look for a second post.  Hint:  It involves carrots.

When I started thinking about a potato and cheese dish, I could not get Boursin cheese out of my mind.  I just was not sure what type of potato dish I would use it in.

Well, a funny thing happened.  We get America’s Test Kitchen on Saturdays here.  My husband happened to be in the house when they were making Smashed Potatoes.  He thought they looked good.  I said I hadn’t made them because he doesn’t usually eat potato skins.  Well he said that the potatoes looked good enough that he would be willing to try them.  I thought, OK, how about smashed potatoes with Boursin topping; and so an idea was born.

I make my own Boursin, but it certainly can be purchased at most grocery stores.  It is fairly expensive to buy and easy to make at home, so give it a try.

It turned out that the recipe from America’s Test Kitchen was for very small potatoes not more than 2-inches across they said.  I went on a hunt for other smashed potato recipes.  I liked the method that Simply Recipes used to cook her Smashed Potatoes.  That involved baking them in the oven with some butter.  I adapted her method, but added some additional baking time.  I also want the potatoes topped with the Boursin, Cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onion so they would be more like a thick potato skin.

The potatoes can be baked ahead and refrigerated.  The toppings can be added and the potatoes baked some more to serve them.

This is very flexible recipe.  The amount of potatoes used  is determined by the size of the potato, the number of people being served, and the appetite of those people.  I am, therefore, going to list the ingredients by what is needed for the number of potatoes used.

Boursin Smashed  Red Potatoes
1 or 2 red potatoes per person depending on size of potatoes used
1 T. butter cut from cube of butter for each four potatoes
1 T. melted butter for each four potatoes
1 T. Boursin cheese for each potato
1 T. grated sharp Cheddar cheese for each potato
1/2 slice bacon cooked and crumbled for each potato
chopped green onions as desired

Place washed and dried potatoes in a baking dish or pan that can be covered.  Slice a tablespoon of butter from a cube for each 4 potatoes, cut into 4 pieces and place a piece of butter on each potato.  Cover and bake potatoes at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove potatoes from oven and roll around so that all surfaces of each potato is covered in butter.  Cover potatoes, return to oven and bake until tender, abut 45 minutes.  Remove potatoes from oven and smash with a potatoes mashed until they are about half their original size.  Brush 1 tablespoon of butter on every four potatoes.  Return to oven for 15 minutes. (This crisps up the skin and makes the potatoes more like potato skins.)  Top each potato with 1 T. Boursin cheese.  Return to oven for 10 minutes to allow cheese to soften.  Spread cheese over the top of each potato.  Sprinkle each potato with 1 T. grated Cheddar cheese and 1/2 slice cooked, crumbled bacon.  Return to oven 5 to 10 minutes until Cheddar cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped green onions if desired.  Serve with sour cream if desired.

If you haven't joined in the fun and would like to be part of  Improv Cooking Challenge, you can find all the information right here.  In April we will be doing peanut butter and jelly.  Now that should be a fun one.

Visit the links below to what other bloggers made with the ingredients of potato and cheese.

Linking to Ingredient Spotlight