Phoenix Food Blog

We're cross-pollinating Martha Stewart with Rachael Ray tonight. The dish is called "Stuffed Potatoes with Ham, Thyme and Gruyere" AKA "I bought a flippin' huge bag of potatoes and now I don't know what to do with them."

We uncovered the recipe in Ray's book 30 Minute Meals, a classic for any lazy cook. In typical Ray style, this couldn't be easier to make, and you don't really have to stick to the recipe that closely. Stuff the potatoes with blue cheese, mushrooms, bacon or anything that strikes your fancy.

As the recipe indicates, microwave the potatoes. Be sure to pierce them with a fork first so they don't explode everywhere and make a mashy mess.

Meanwhile, cook the shallots and mix together the diced ham and grated cheese. Unfortunately, a cube of Gruyere at Safeway these days runs close to ten dollars. Now we at Chow Bella are all for fancy-schmancy cheese and everything, but that's highway robbery. We substituted cheapo Colby and Swiss cheeses instead and really, in the end, who cares.

Cut the cooked potatoes in half. Then scoop out the flesh and add it to the ham, cheese, sage and shallots mixture. Mash it well together but as Ray says, keep it lumpy. Add in some milk too.

Stuff the potatoes and broil them for five minutes. Make sure you don't burn them! Serve with soda and turn on the boob tube and veg out. If you like dips, bust out some sour cream or ranch dressing.