Tuesday 5 January 2016

Hot, Hot, Hot Potatoes!

Patate Ripieni al Forno con Radicchio, Ricotta, Erbe Miste, Pancetta & Miele
Baked Potatoes stuffed with Radicchio, Ricotta, Mixed Herbs, Bacon & Honey


Oh yes- these certainly were some HOT potatoes- so hot that I accidentally dropped the dish when I took them out of the oven... so do watch out! 

Fortunately, they didn't fall far- just onto the stove top... and the only thing that broke were the potatoes themselves a little and my pride, But they still tasted great and my baking dish will live on to see another day!


This was a little experiment with some bitter, sweet and savory flavors- with radicchio, honey, bacon and herbs... these combined with fresh ricotta cheese made for a somewhat different version of a baked potato. 

And if it hadn't have been for my little accident just before serving (and me having to carefully patch together the remains of my little tatties!)- I would have been finished with my preparation in just 45 minutes or so- sigh!


So- what did I need to perform my little experiment? 1 radicchio, 3 medium potatoes, 2 tablespoons of fresh ricotta, 1 tablespoon of chopped bacon, 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 good handful of assorted parsley, basil and mint, salt and salt, pepper, nutmeg and olive oil for seasoning.


Yes- at this point, they were almost ready and I had just added the touch of honey to glaze them and to balance the bitterness of the radicchio so nicely... I did an "ok" job of rescuing them... but they should have looked a whole lot nicer!

Fortunately... there was no damage done to the amazing flavor! So- please try them out- you'll like them! Just be more careful than me!


Ok- start off by boiling the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes- and in the meantime, you can get the oven nice and hot and prepare the filling!

To fill my 3, medium sized potatoes, I needed 2 tablespoons of fresh ricotta and about the same amount each of shredded radicchio and finely chopped herbs. I added the tablespoon of chopped bacon, a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper and stirred everything together. Easy.


Once the potatoes were boiled, I cut away the top third, scooped out the insides carefully, chopped them up and then added about the same amount of potato to the radicchio, herb and ricotta filling. I grated a little nutmeg into the mix... just because- you can't go wrong with nutmeg and potatoes!


I then carefully but generously stuffed the mixture back into the potatoes, added a little extra pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil and packed them into the oven for around 15 minutes at 210°C.


After that time, the ricotta had melted, the radicchio had wilted, everything was back up to temperature and beginning to turn golden- and I fetched the potatoes out to give them that last drizzle of honey as a finishing touch... and after a final 3-4 minutes in the oven, they were glazed and golden and ready to serve!

CAREFULLY!!!


Oh- they didn't look all that bad after all, despite the fall- did they?


And they certainly tasted every bit as wonderful as they look!

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