The Ultimate Stuffed Potato

The other day I caught an episode of Tyler's Ultimate and he was making The Ultimate Stuffed Potato, basically a baked potato topped with a cheese sauce mixed with bacon and broccoli. I was practically drooling watching him assemble these potatoes (which were a side dish to a steak dinner, if you can believe it). I figured the potato alone was filling enough for dinner.

I made some modifications to the cheese sauce after seeing that it called for 1/2 stick of butter and only 1/2 cup of milk. I dropped the butter and flour to 2 tablespoons each and upped the milk to 1 cup to make a thinner sauce. I had to add a few splashes of milk to thin it when we were ready to eat since I made it ahead of time, so use your judgement. I also ended up mixing together the ends of a few different cheeses because I only had about 1 ounce of cheddar left in the fridge. American and a little Pecorino mixed in well and the resulting sauce was drinkably good.

I loved these potatoes and, once again, Baby Girl was stealing pieces of broccoli, bacon and cheese as we were cooking dinner. I baked her a tiny potato and she was a big fan. These are so, so good.

The Ultimate Stuffed Potato
Tyler Florence

4 large Idaho potatoes, scrubbed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
About 1-2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar
2 broccoli crowns cut into florets, blanched in salty water
1/2 pound bacon, medium dice, cooked until crisp
2 tablespoons chives, chopped (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place potatoes onto a baking sheet. Pierce with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place into preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour.

Melt the butter over medium heat and then whisking in the flour. Cook for 1 minute then add the milk. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then off heat fold in the cheese and stir until melted. Once melted, add the cooked broccoli and bacon. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When the potatoes are done make a cut across the top and squeeze it from the bottom so a small pouch opens up and the bottom is squared off. Spoon the filling over the top of the potato and season with pepper, to taste.