So easy a child could make it! (Twice Baked Potatoes) (Potato)

Member Name: rachelwestall

Product:	Potato
Date:	28/02/09 (233 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to make - no skill required!

Disadvantages: None!

I really love cooking (most of the time!) and I have tried to encourage my two sons aged 13 and 15 to cook. They are both competent now and are able to cook meals with minimum intervention from me, which is fantastic. My daughter is 10 and I think she's been feeling left out. She declared this week that she wanted to cook the dinner by herself - she had even found a recipe. I was a bit worried that she might have chosen something like Beef Wellington or Duck a la Orange, but fortunately she has more simple tastes. She showed me the page in the book bearing the title - Twice baked Jacket Potatoes. A good choice I felt.

So this evening for tea this is what my daughter cooked - we didn't really use the same ingredients as the book, because I have my own way of doing things! This is what Carys did....

* Bake as many large baking potatoes as you need (about 180 degrees for 1-1 ½ hours). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
* Carefully scoop the flesh of the potatoes out and put into a bowl. (This was hard work apparently!!) Put the skins on a baking tray, ready for later.
* Mash the potato, we added a couple of spoons of creme fraiche, but you could use butter.
* Season and mix well.
* Now add your chosen filling to the mashed potato- bacon, ham cheese, tuna, mushrooms.... the list is endless - use your imagination! We added cooked bacon and cheese.
* Now fill each potato skin with your potato mixture.
* Sprinkle with grated cheese.
* Bake for about 20 mins until the cheese is golden and bubbling.

Serve these yummy potatoes with salad (or in my daughters case - baked beans).

This is a great meal to do if you have left over jacket potatoes. Just put them into the fridge until you want to use them and then scoop out, fill and cook. A great lunchtime snack.

This first meal was a resounding success. We all loved it, so well done Carys. I wonder what she'll cook next?! - Now I need to work on how to tidy up after yourself!!!

If you have kids - get them cooking. It does require a bit of time and effort, but don't leave it until the day before they leave home for university as my mother in law did with my husband! If they learn to love food and cooking it will help them towards a healthy and independent life. It could also mean that once or twice you're able to put your feet up, while they cook for you. Enough said!

Summary: A fantastic snack, meal, addition to a buffet - cheap, simple, you can't go wrong.