The Perfect Baked Potato!

For the past few weeks David has been able to participate in a cooking class at our local recreation center. At the last class they made these super cute "Mr. Potato Heads"



It gave me the idea for tonights dinner, baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese. I never had luck with making a baked potato before, I usually end up under cooking them. I decided to google baked potato to see what I could find on timing and came found a link to the Alton Brown's recipe for baked potatoes. I decided to pair it up with the creamy cheese sauce from the Pioneer Woman's macaroni and cheese. Add some steamed broccoli and voilà!

How to Bake the Potato:

What You Need:
Russet Potatoes
Canola Oil
Kosher Salt

The Steps:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and position racks in top and bottom thirds.
2. Wash potato (or potatoes) thoroughly with a stiff brush and cold running water. Dry, then using a standard fork poke 8 to 12 deep holes all over the spud so that moisture can escape during cooking.
3. Place in a bowl and coat lightly with oil.
4. Sprinkle with kosher salt and place potato directly on rack in middle of oven.
5. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drippings.
6. Bake 1 hour or until skin feels crisp but flesh beneath feels soft.
7. Serve by creating a dotted line from end to end with your fork, then crack the spud open by squeezing the ends towards one another. It will pop right open. But watch out, there will be some steam.

NOTE: If you're cooking more than 4 potatoes, you'll need to extend the cooking time by up to 15 minutes.

How to Make the Cheese Sauce:

What You Need:
1 whole Egg Beaten
¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
2-½ cups Whole Milk
2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
1 pound Cheese, Grated
½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper

The Steps:
1. In a small bowl, beat egg.
2. In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
3. Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.
4. Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
5. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
6. Add in cheese and stir to melt.
7. Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

The Verdict:
Success! Seriously, it was the BEST baked potato I have ever had. They were cooked to perfection! I never knew how restaurants got the potato to open like a pocket and now I do! I really liked the how well the cheese sauce worked on the potato, rather than just melting some shredded cheese. By the way, these would be delicious with some butter, sour cream and chives too, or substituting the broccoli for bacon!!! YUM!