Baked Potatoes

Very easy and extremely tasty!!

Get together:

5-7 Potatoes small to medium size
Olive oil
Butter (a generous tablespoonful)
1/2 cup grated cheese (cheddar is best), you could use lesser if you wish
Mushrooms (1 packet)
1-2 Carrots medium size, cut (dice) into very small pieces
1 clove of garlic, peeled and squashed or diced finely
6-7 fresh basil leaves
Fresh Cream
Juice of 2 Lemons
Salt



Trim your nails, wash your hands :)

Pre heat to oven to 250 deg

Throughly wash the potatoes, do not peel the skin... If there is some mud stuck on them, looosen it and remove it. Poke the potatoes 7-8 times with a fork. Stick the fork right in, dont do it politely :)
This allows the steam to escape while baking... i have been told that they may explode otherwise!

In a Pan melt the butter and add some olive oil. Remove from gas.

Now just put each potato in the butter and oil mixture and with your fingers spread it on the entire potato, dont put too much. Put the potato on a baking tray. Do for all potatoes. Sprinkle some salt on them. Put to bake at 250 deg for about 30 to 40 minutes. When they turn a delicious golden brown they are done.

Meanwhile, put the pan with the olive oil and butter mixture on the gas and add 1 pod of garlic that has been peeled ad squashed or cut into fine pieces. wait until it browns a bit. Then add 6-7 fresh basil leaves. Add the diced carrots and just saute them. They should be crunchy. Add the Mushrooms and cook for about 3 more minutes, add grated cheese to this and stir well until the cheese has melted. Remove from gas.

Add the juice of the lemons to about a cup of cream and beat it well till it is nice and thick.

Once the potatoes are done, slit them along one side and open them up a bit. be careful they will be really hot. Spoon in some of the mushroom carrot cheese mixture. Add a dollop of the sour cream and decorate it with a basil leaf. Serve immediately. It should be eaten piping hot...



You can be creative with what sort of toppings you put on your baked potatoes: Just sour cream with finely chopped chives, grated cheddar cheese with a dash of red chilly powder, finesly shredded spinach with sour cream... the list is almost endless :)