Baked Potatoes with Loaded Broccoli Bacon Cheese Sauce

By KitchenGnome

Ingredients

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups whole milk (no substitutions)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (not pre shredded)
• 2 Tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt + pepper to taste
• 1 1/4 cups chopped steamed broccoli florets (they should be chopped up into very small pieces and then measured)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from ohsweetbasil.com

Preparation

Step 1

To make the potatoes:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Rinse and scrub potatoes and cut in half length wise. This helps speed up baking time.
Rub the potatoes on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Place face down on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.

To make the cheese sauce:

In a small sauce pan, heat the milk over medium heat until you see bubbles forming at the top.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in another saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the top, stirring constantly until a thick paste forms, 1 to 2 minutes.
Slowly add the warm milk to the flour and butter paste in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. It should be thick but still pourable. Add the cheese, whisking constantly until it is melted. Add the hot sauce and cayenne. Stir in the broccoli and bacon. Taste, then add salt and pepper to taste. Add more cayenne and/or hot sauce if preferred. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little bit more milk until desired consistency.
Spoon hot cheese sauce over baked potatoes and serve immediately.The potatoes and cheese sauce are best when served immediately after preparing, when it's nice and hot.

But this cheese sauce and baked potatoes keeps well covered tightly in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Just heat it up before serving.