1 week ago
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Loaded potatoes are the ultimate dinner inspiration – a fluffy, blank canvas for bold flavours. For the best results, choose starchy varieties such as Desiree or Yukon Gold to ensure a crisp skin and absorbent flesh. If opting for sweet potatoes, expect a softer skin due to their higher moisture, though the interior remains just as glorious.
This combination of Bloody Mary butter, crispy bacon and pickles is a significant upgrade on the standard sour cream and chives. You’ll likely have more butter than you need for a few spuds, but it’s a brilliant freezer staple to have on standby. Beyond the potato, it’s a revelation melted over steak, tossed with prawns, or dolloped onto fresh oysters.
Ingredients
4 large, starchy potatoes (such as Desiree or Yukon gold)
salt
BLOODY MARY BUTTER (MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS)
200g unsalted butter, softened
140g tub tomato paste
1 tbsp freshly grated horseradish (or from a jar)
1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tsp celery seeds, lightly ground
1 tsp salt
TO SERVE
8-12 slices grilled bacon or pancetta
dill pickles, cut into slices
dill leaves to garnish (optional)
Method
to bake the potatoes
Step 1
Preheat oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Step 2
Scrub and thoroughly dry the potatoes with a tea towel. Pierce the skins with a fork or sharp knife to allow steam to escape during baking. This combination of drying and pricking is the key to achieving crisp skin and light, fluffy innards.
Step 3
Salt the potatoes generously, then bake for 1-1½ hours. They are ready when there is only the slightest resistance when you poke them with a knife.
TO MAKE THE BLOODY MARY BUTTER
Step 1
While the potatoes bake, prepare the Bloody Mary butter. Lay a large sheet of cling film on your work surface, ready for rolling and chilling the butter.
Step 2
Combine the softened butter with the tomato paste, horseradish, sauces, garlic, celery seeds and salt. Beat well with a fork until smooth and evenly mixed – this ensures the flavours are balanced and the butter isn’t streaky.
Step 3
Transfer the butter to the cling film and roll it into a cylinder. The soft texture can make this tricky, so just aim for a reasonably even log. Twist the ends to secure and refrigerate until firm but still yielding – about the time it takes for your potatoes to bake.
TO ASSEMBLE THE BAKED POTATOES
Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. Slice each potato three-quarters of the way through the centre, gently prising them open to make room for the fillings. Tuck in a few generous rounds of the Bloody Mary butter, followed by two or three shards of crisp bacon and a few slices of pickle. Season with salt and pepper, scatter with fresh dill, and serve immediately.
Other ways to pimp your potato
Middle Eastern topping
For a Middle Eastern twist, fill your roasted potatoes with a spiced butter made by blending 2 tablespoons of zaatar into 115g (½ cup) of softened butter. In a separate bowl, toss together finely chopped coriander, flat-leaf parsley, and a handful of cranberries with lemon zest, chopped smoked almonds, and black sesame seeds.
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Slice the potatoes three-quarters of the way through, slather the centres with the zaatar butter, and finish with a bright spoonful of the herb and nut mixture.
Mushroom ragu
For a cold-weather twist, simmer a rich ragu of mixed wild mushrooms, onion, fresh herbs, beef stock and white wine. Once the liquid has reduced and thickened, generously fill your baked potato with the mushroom mixture and finish with a flourish of shaved parmesan cheese.
Sweet potatoes with miso butter, kimchi and spring onion
Roast some sweet potatoes in a 170C fan-forced (190C conventional) oven for about 1 hour using the method above.
While the sweet potatoes are baking, combine 115g (½ cup) of softened butter with 1 tablespoon of white miso paste and a pinch of black pepper. Roll the mixture into a log using cling film, twisting the ends to seal, and refrigerate until firm.
Once the sweet potatoes are tender, slice them lengthwise three-quarters of the way through. Insert a few thick rounds of the chilled miso butter into the warm centres. Finish by topping with dollops of chopped kimchi, a generous sprinkle of crispy fried shallots and sliced spring onions.
