Loaded Baked Potato

Cooking for one seems to mean eating a lot of pasta.  But sometimes a potato just hits the spot.  Although you could fill a potato with just about anything, this classic loaded baked potato feels more like a unique meal and less like leftovers.  Cooking the bacon does take some time, but if you already have cooked bacon in your freezer, this is a super quick and easy meal.  I prefer cooking bacon in the oven so I can cook a lot at once, and to avoid splattering my stove top with bacon grease.  To clean up after cooking the bacon, let the leftover fat cool until it becomes a semi-solid.  At that point, you can ball up the aluminum foil and throw it away.  I always drain the bacon on a paper towel lined plate, although I’m not sure how blotting away this little bit of fat is making the bacon any healthier. 

When I’m cooking a lot of potatoes, I use the oven instead of the microwave. It only takes a little longer, and it’s actually a little easier because you don’t need to wrap each individual potato in paper towel or anything else. You can bake potatoes directly on your oven rack. Baking potatoes in the oven takes about an hour, depending on the size of the potatoes. Larger ones take a little longer of course. As a quick meal for one, baking the potato in the microwave and pulling previously cooked bacon out of the freezer is the way to go.

Loaded Baked Potato

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Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 1 Russet potato
• 2-3 slices of cooked bacon, chopped Instructions for cooking bacon below
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1'4 cup sour cream
• 1 chopped Roma tomato
• 1 chopped green onion optional

Instructions

 

• If you're baking the potato in the oven, you need to start with the potato. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. If you're baking the potato in the microwave, skip down to the bacon step for now.
• Wash and scrub the outside of the potato, then prick it with a fork in several places. You can season the outside with olive oil, salt and pepper, or you can leave it dry.
• Place the potato directly on the oven rack and bake for 1 hour. You'll know it's done when you can crush it easily. Use a clean hot pad or towel to do check this - the potato will be really hot.
• Let’s start the bacon. Turn on the oven to 425 degrees. Line a pan with aluminum foil, being sure to bend up the edges so the bacon grease is contained.
• Spread the bacon in a single layer on the aluminum foil.
• Place the bacon in the oven, whether or not it is completely preheated. Set the timer for 18 minutes. You can cook it longer or less time depending on the thickness of the bacon and your desired crispness.
• I suggest you freeze the extra cooked bacon for a different meal.
• If you're baking the potato in the microwave, now is the time to scrub the potato under running water. Prick it with a fork several times, and wrap it in a paper towel.
• Place the potato in the microwave and cook on high for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size of your potato. Check for doneness after 6 minutes by pushing gently on the sides of the potato. It should crush easily and feel “done”. If not, add another minute of cooking time and check again.
• To assemble the potato, slice open the top and push the ends in toward the center to open up the potato. To fill, start with butter or margarine, then add cheese, chopped bacon, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and top with chopped green onion. That’s it – time to eat!

Keyword College meal