Basil Pesto Twice Baked Potatoes Food

BASIL PESTO TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
• Bake the potatoes in the oven for about an hour, until the skins are firm and the centres are soft.
• When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven. Halve them lengthways and scoop out the majority of the flesh with a spoon. Be very careful not to tear the skin- leave a quarter inch of flesh still in the skin to provide a firm shell.
• Lightly mash with a fork the flesh that has been removed from the skins. Mix in the mascarpone cheese and basil pesto sauce and season with salt and pepper if desired. Stir well to mix.
• Add the grated mozzarella and pine nuts and stir to mix.
• Scoop the filling back into the potatoes, smoothing the tops.
• Place on a foil-covered baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, until the filling is hot.
• Serve hot!

BAKED POTATOES WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Scrub potatoes well and prick with a fork. Rub a little salt on the skins. Cook on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 1 hou, until skins are crisp.
• Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl, leaving a shell of potato inside the skins. Mash flesh with a fork.
• Mix the cream and stock in a pan and simmer over low heat for 8-10 minutes until reduced. Stir in lemon juice, garlic, basic and salt and pepper to taste. Add to potato flesh and mix well.
• Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells and sprinkle cheese on top. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, until cheese has browned.

TWICE BAKED PESTO MASHED POTATOES RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub potatoes thoroughly with a brush; pat dry. Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until tender. Remove from oven; let stand for 10 minutes. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out potato pulp, leaving 1/4-inch shells; place pulp in a medium bowl. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Mash potato pulp with a potato masher, or an electric mixer on low speed. Add pesto, 1/4 cup of the cheese, and the milk; beat until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the mashed potato mixture into the potato shells. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Place filled potato shells in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake about 10 minutes more or until nuts are toasted. To Make Ahead Prepare as directed through Step 2. Transfer potatoes to an airtight container; cover. Chill for up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Continue as directed, except bake potatoes for 30 minutes before adding pine nuts.

BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Combine basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add garlic, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Pulse until mixture becomes smooth and blended.
• Pour mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap; roll into a tube shape and seal. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

BOURSIN TWICE BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Wash the potatoes carefully and pierce each side with a fork to release steam while cooking.
• Bake for approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees or microwave approximately 13 minutes on high until they are soft on all sides.
• Once removed from the oven or microwave, allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes until you can easily handle them.
• Once they can be handled easily, slice off the flat side neatly and remove the potato carefully with a soupspoon, being careful not to rip the skin.
• Place the hot potato into a mixing bowl.
• Mash the potato with a hand masher, mixer or potato ricer and add the Boursin cheese and butter.
• Mix well.
• Add the milk slowly while mashing until the consistency is that of mashed potatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the potato mix is perfect, stuff it back into the potato skins, making sure that the potato mix sits high above the skin.
• Sprinkle with paprika and cracked green peppercorns for flavor and color.
• Before serving, reheat in the oven or microwave.

BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat.
• Use a mortar and pestle to pound and grind the pine nuts to a fine paste (no distinct pieces should be visible). Add the garlic, and pound until smooth and integrated.
• If the basil leaves are very large, run a knife through them once or twice to cut them down in size. Add basil to pine nuts along with a pinch of salt, which will help break down the leaves. Continue pounding and grinding until the basil breaks down completely (if your mortar is small, pound the basil in batches), about 7 minutes. Once the nuts and basil combine into a thick green paste, stir in Parmesan, pecorino and oil. Taste, and adjust salt as needed.
• Generously season water with salt. Cook pasta until al dente, then drain, reserving a cup of cooking water. (Tip: Heat your serving bowl by using it as a lid for pasta pot)
• Place cooked pasta in the serving bowl, and stir in pesto. Add splashes of cooking water and olive oil as needed to loosen the sauce and ensure the pasta is evenly coated. Garnish with Parmesan, and serve immediately.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES WITH MOZZARELLA, TOMATO AND BASIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
• Bake the potatoes in the oven for about an hour, until the skins are firm and the centre is soft.
• Meanwhile, chop the cherry tomatoes into eighths and set aside. Add the grated mozzarella, chopped basil and pine nuts.
• When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven. Halve them lengthways and scoop out the majority of the flesh with a spoon. Be very careful not to tear the skin- leave a quarter inch of flesh still in the skin to provide a firm shell.
• Lightly mash with a fork the flesh that has been removed from the skins. Mix in the cream cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the mozzarella and tomato mixture to the mashed potato and scoop back into the shells.
• Place on a foil-covered baking tray and bake for 5-10 minutes, until the filling is hot and beginning to turn golden.
• Serve hot!

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES WITH BASIL AND SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. With a fork prick potatoes and on a baking sheet bake in middle of oven 1 hour, or until tender. Leave oven on. When potatoes are just cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise and scoop flesh into a 3-quart saucepan, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells.
• With a potato masher mash potatoes in saucepan with 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in milk and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer shells to baking sheet and brush insides with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season shells with salt and pepper. Mashed potatoes and shells may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat mashed potatoes before proceeding.
• Bake potato shells in middle of oven until golden, about 20 minutes. While shells are baking, cut basil into thin strips and stir about three fourths into warm mashed potatoes. Spoon mashed potatoes into shells and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve each potato half topped with 1/2 tablespoon sour cream and some remaining basil.