This recipe for Spinach and Artichoke Dip Baked Potatoes has also been featured on Serious Eats.
Have any of you ever done those DNA heritage tests? I did, mainly to try to fill in gaps in my family tree (which I've been working on for eons), and to figure out what debilitating diseases I'm at a high risk of, because I'm every doctor's favorite kind of hypochondriac. My results should be in next week and I'm super excited to find out that I've got some family geneology that I never knew existed-- or, you know, to just continue on being German and Irish. That's fine, too. At least it'll be perfect timing for St. Patrick's Day.
Maybe I'll make a shirt. "Kiss me, I'm 32% Irish. Verified by genetic testing."
I usually go all-out with St. Patrick's Day recipes, making everything from green cocktails to Irish stews to Guinness and Baileys desserts, not to mention the house-favorite Irish baked potato soup. Gotta make my grandpa proud by making a whole Irish feast.
This year, though, there's a lot less variation in my recipe inspiration. It's just potatoes. Potato everything. Every single idea that I've had has been some starchy, crispy, creamy concoction of spuds, and I've already bought and used (no joke) over 30 pounds of potatoes in my quest.
Which, in all honesty, is not really a bad thing when you consider how much we all love a good potato. It's not just me, right? I swear, I could live off of russets alone. Fried, roasted, or baked-- I'll take 'em. No, really, please. Give them all to me.
ESPECIALLY if they're stuffed with spinach and artichoke dip, as I've recently discovered.
Chips and dip platters are great for parties, but when it comes to weeknight dinners, ditch the potato chips and go for a fluffy baked potato instead. Not only does the crisp skin of the baked potato make the perfect serving vehicle, but scooping out the potato flesh and mixing it in with traditional spinach and artichoke dip makes the whole thing unforgettable. It just might become your favorite side dish.
And the green of the spinach peeking through makes it an awesome option to celebrate your unsurprisingly Irish DNA results. I mean Irish heritage.
Spinach and Artichoke Dip Baked Potatoes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 potatoes 1x
Ingredients
- 4 (12 ounce) potatoes, preferably russets
- Canola, vegetable, or olive oil, for rubbing
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups (4 ounces) raw baby spinach, chopped
- 8 ounces canned artichokes, drained and chopped
Instructions
- If Using Only the Oven: Preheat oven to 375°F. Using a fork or paring knife, puncture potatoes all over. Rub each potato with a light coat of oil. Arrange on a rack set on a baking sheet, or directly on an oven rack, and bake until a fork can easily be inserted into the center of each potato, about 1 hour. If setting potatoes directly on oven rack, set a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any oil drips.
- If Using the Microwave and Oven: Preheat oven to 450°F. Using a fork or paring knife, puncture potatoes all over. Microwave potatoes for 5 minutes. Rub each potato with a light coat of oil. Arrange on a rack set on a baking sheet, or directly on an oven rack, and bake until a fork can easily be inserted into the center of each potato, about 20 minutes. If setting potatoes directly on oven rack, set a sheet of foil on the rack below to catch any oil drips.
- Let potatoes rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, shallot, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Slice each potato open lengthwise and carefully scoop flesh into the mixing bowl with the dip base. Mash the potatoes with a fork while mixing with the other ingredients, then fold in mozzarella cheese, artichokes, and spinach.
- Scoop potato mixture back into the baked potato skins and shape back into the classic baked potato shape. Return to oven and cook until the cheese has melted and begun to brown in spots, about 5 minutes. Serve warm.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
CAROL j. CHERRY says
what do you have re: recipes GLUTEN FREE?