Thomas Keller Twice Baked Potato Food

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub them with the canola oil and bake for 1 hour, making sure they're sufficiently cooked through.
• Slice the butter into pats. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the bacon bits and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F.
• With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small rim of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet.
• Smash the potatoes into the butter, bacon and sour cream. Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and black pepper to taste and mix together well. (IMPORTANT: If you plan to freeze the twice-baked potatoes, do NOT add the green onions.)
• Fill the potato shells with the filling. I like to fill the shells so they look abundant and heaping. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop 'em in the oven until the potato is warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.

POTATO PAVE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour cream into a large bowl; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Peel potatoes. Trim all sides of one potato to make a rectangular shape. Set a mandoline over bowl of cream and, starting with the flat side of the potato, slice potato lengthwise into very thin slices (alternatively, if you cannot set your mandoline over bowl, slice potatoes, adding slices to cream as you work). Toss potato slices in cream occasionally to keep them from oxidizing. Repeat process with remaining potatoes.
• Brush a 10-by-5-by-2 3/4-inch-high baking pan with half of the softened butter. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 5-inch overhang on all sides. Brush parchment paper with remaining softened butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Trim slices to form an even layer in the bottom of the pan; repeat process to form a second layer. Dot with a few cubes of butter; season with salt and pepper. Continue layering potatoes and adding butter and seasoning after every two layers until pan is filled. Fold sides of parchment paper over potatoes. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and transfer to oven.
• Bake until potatoes are completely tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Cut a piece of cardboard slightly smaller than the size of pan; wrap with aluminum foil. Place foil-wrapped cardboard on top of potatoes and weight down with heavy cans; let potatoes cool to room temperature. Remove weights and tightly wrap pan. Refrigerate potatoes at least 6 hours or up to 2 days.
• To serve, run an offset spatula between the parchment paper and pan to release. Using the parchment paper overhang, carefully lift pave out of pan or invert onto a cutting board. Trim sides of pave and cut into 12 equal pieces; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add enough canola oil to coat. When oil is hot, add potatoes, cut-side-down, along with thyme and garlic. Cook, basting with oil, until browned on first side. Carefully turn and brown on opposite side.
• Transfer potatoes to a serving platter and arrange browned side up. Place a small piece of butter on each and sprinkle with chives. Serve.

POTATO-PARMESAN PAVé

Steps:

• To prepare the pavé: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, toss the potato slices with the cream until thoroughly coated. Generously butter a ceramic casserole dish. Arrange 4 layers of the potatoes in the bottom of the pan and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese on the potatoes and cover with 4 layers of potato. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan, and layer the remaining potatoes over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the potatoes are tender.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Clean and scrub baking potatoes.
• Pierce skin with a fork once or twice.
• Bake at 350°F 1 hour or until tender.
• Let potatoes cool slightly.
• Cut baked potatoes in half and scoop out within 1/4 inch of edge.
• Mash with milk, green onions, s&p, and butter.
• Stuff shells with mashed potato.
• Sprinkle tops with cheeses (and bacon if used).
• Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Serve with sour cream.

THOMAS KELLER'S FAVORITE ROAST CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Rinse chicken in cold water, then dry very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.
• Salt and pepper cavity, then truss bird with kitchen twine to help it cook more evenly. (See Note.).
• Now, salt chicken -- I like to rain salt over the bird so it has a nice uniform coating that will result in crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out salt baked onto the crisp skin.
• Season to taste with pepper.
• Place chicken in sauté pan or roasting pan and, when oven is up to temperature, put chicken in oven. I leave it alone -- I don't baste it. I don't add butter. You can if you wish, but I think this creates steam, which I don't want.
• Roast it until it's done (165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh), 50 to 60 minutes.
• Remove from oven and add thyme to pan. Baste chicken with juices and thyme and let it sit for 15 minutes on cutting board.
• Remove twine. Discard wing tip. Separate middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove legs and thighs.
• I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded there, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip -- until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards.
• Cut breast down middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be super elegant.
• Slather meat with butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad.

BEST TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Microwave (or bake in oven at 400 for 1hr) the potatoes until done.
• Allow to cool a bit.
• Slice about a 1" strip of the skin off the top of each potato.
• Carefully scoop out the pulp, placing in a large bowl, and leaving potato shells intact.
• Mash the potato pulp along with the margarine.
• Add milk, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper; combining well.
• Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells, piling high.
• Top with the crumbled bacon or bacon bits.
• Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

" TWICE BAKED" POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Prepare the soup mix according to the directions on the back of the bag. Let the soup cook for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the onion and garlic into the pot of soup, letting it simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Cut a generous chunk of cheddar cheese (about 2 ounces) and drop it into the soup pot. Wait a couple minutes for the cheese to melt and then stir the soup.
• Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and scallions.