Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potato

For any of you out there who find it difficult to stomach eating vegetables, my husband offers this solution: cover them in cheese. I don’t always agree with this philosophy; I’m actually one of those freaky people that think roasted vegetables are heaven all by themselves, but I have to admit I’ve never turned down anything that was drowning in cheese.

That’s the idea with this potato. First, you make a super rich cheddar cheese sauce.  You can actually just stop here and pour the whole thing in a bowl if you want. Just tell people it’s “cheese soup”. Yeah, that stuff totally exists, probably because some chef wanted an excuse to eat cheese sauce with a spoon.

Okay, now stir in the broccoli. This ingredient is key because you can now convince yourself that this is super nutritious and therefore you should force yourself to eat every bite. Eating seconds is highly advisable.

Now, pour that stuff all over your baked potato. Yeah, covering vegetables in cheese is pretty dang awesome.

Broccoli and Cheese Baked Potato

Print this recipe!

2 russet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon flour
¾ cup half and half
¾ cup vegetable stock
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
1 ½ cups broccoli florets

Poke the potatoes with a fork a couple times, and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Squeeze them with an oven mitt to see if they’re tender. If not, bake for another 15 minutes, or until they become tender.

Bring a large pot of water up to a boil. Add in the broccoli florets and blanch for about 4 minutes, or until tender. Quickly transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Allow to sit for 2 minutes and then drain.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Saute the onions until they just begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add in the flour and stir for 1 minute more.

Whisk in the cream and vegetable stock. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes thick, about 5-8 minutes. Whisk in 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese and stir until it’s completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. (now is the time that you could call this cheese soup) Stir in the broccoli florets.

Take your potatoes out of the foil and make a large cut through the center of the potato. Press the ends of the potato to open up the gap, and pour broccoli cheese sauce into it. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Enjoy your cheese-coated vegetables.

Tagged as: Broccoli, Cheese