Potatoes Stuffed With Spinach And Smoked Cheese

By á-170456

Ingredients

• 2 baking potatoes, like russets - (abt 1/2 lb ea)
• 1 pound spinach coarse stems
• discarded and the leaves washed well
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups coarsely-grated smoked cheese (such as smoked Gouda or smoked mozzarella)
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Scrub the potatoes, pat them dry. Prick the potatoes a few times with a fork and bake them in the middle of oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

While the potatoes are baking, in a heavy saucepan cook the spinach in the water clinging to the leaves, covered, over moderately-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, or until it is wilted. Drain the spinach in a colander set over a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid, and chop it coarse.

In a bowl, combine the spinach and the butter. While the potatoes are warm, halve them lengthwise, scoop them out, leaving the shells as thin as possible, and chop the scooped-out potato coarsely.

Add the chopped potato to the bowl with the spinach, combining the mixture well. Add the lemon juice and stir in 1 cup of the cheese and 1 tablespoon of the reserved cooking liquid, or enough to reach a smooth consistency.

Season the mixture with salt and pepper, divide it among the potato shells, and top it with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake the potatoes in a baking dish in the middle of a preheated 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until they are heated through.

This recipe yields 4 servings.