DDC#3: Twice-Baked Potatoes

Tonight I made twice-baked parsnip potatoes, and in the process learned three things: 1) I do not care for the smell of parsnips when they are boiling, 2) Yukon Gold Potatoes are not the best for baking/hollowing/re-stuffing, and 3) my son will eat parsnips but refuse to touch anything green. However, I am proud to report that the potatoes contained 100% local ingredients (if you kindly overlook the salt, pepper, and not-very-green dried chives I sprinkled on top in a sad attempt to give them some color)! Ideally I'd have paired them with locally-raised chicken breasts, but co-op pickup isn't until later this month and I didn't feel like thawing and roasting the whole bird I have in the freezer since it's just the three of us.

The potatoes, as I implied above, were Yukon Golds. And guess what? Their skins are a *little* too thin for hollowing out. I had to leave about 1/4 inch of flesh all the way around to keep them from falling completely apart. But they were the only potatoes I had, so I made do. To the scooped-out potato, I added two cooked parsnips, about 1/2 cup of Michigan-made milk, and about 1/3 cup cup cooked and crumbled local nitrite-free bacon (from the co-op). I used my Microplane grater to shred the last of our locally-produced (co-op!) mild white cheddar, which I then placed on top before putting the potatoes under the broiler to brown. The very fine cheese let me get away with using less than two ounces for all eight potato halves.

The H said these were great, baby ate at least half of one, and when my super-stuffy nose granted me a split second to experience the sense of taste again, I thought they were pretty good, too. The parsnips added a touch of sweetness that I would not have imagined, given their dusty-basement smell while they boiled. Next time I make something like this, I will use baking potatoes and a stronger-flavored cheese. The goal for this meal was local as opposed to super-clean.

Ready for the broiler:

Ready to eat: