Description
Savory lamb and spinach—seasoned with rosemary, thyme, and oregano—Pecorino Romano and white cheddar cheese and drizzled with tzatziki sauce, these stuffed potatoes are just what you’ve been looking for.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 large russet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 pound of ground lamb or beef
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups of spinach, packed
- 1/2 cup of pecorino romano, grated
- 1 cup white cheddar, shredded
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup of cucumber, grated (about half of a medium-sized cucumber)
- 1 tablespoon dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon mint, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
- Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon (plus more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° degrees. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh to make a boat or shell. Chop the scooped potato into smaller pieces, put in a bowl, and set to the side.
- Drizzle the potato boats drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and melted butter. Salt and bake for 30 minutes, until they’re fork-tender. Remove from the oven when done.
- While potatoes are baking. Heat a large skillet and add the remaining olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the onions and cook a=until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped potato and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes and start to see a caramelization. Make a well in the center of the skillet and add the ground lamb or beef, all of your herbs, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the lamb just turns brown. It’s ok if there’s still a little pink because it will finish cooking in the oven. Turn off the heat and add the spinach to the mixture. The heat will wilt the spinach. Add the pecorino romano and stir until combined.
- Fill the potato boats by spooning the lamb mixture into the boats. Top with Bake Top with white cheddar and bake for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
- While the stuffed potatoes are on their second bake, start the tzatziki. Squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms— or put in a cheesecloth and squeeze—over the sink to remove excess water. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl. Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and a pinch of salt to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Taste and add additional herbs, lemon juice, and/or salt, if needed.
- Drizzle tzatziki over the warm stuffed potatoes and enjoy!
Notes
- Can I use another meat? If I didn’t convince you about using lamb, never fear. Great substitutes for this dish are ground beef or ground chicken.
- What about making this vegetarian or vegan? There are so many options if you want to go vegetarian/vegan. Try sauteeing up some mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, and add more spinach. The skies the limit with making this your go-to veggie dish!
- Method-Don’t forget that the method for these stuffed potatoes is a little different than old-school twice-baked potatoes in that you scoop out the potato before you bake it and you’re not doing any mashing. You want those little bits of potato to get caramelized so they’re getting tossed in the skillet.
- Cheese– If you can’t find Pecorino Romano you can sub in parmesan or even use your fave vegan cheese.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mediterranean-inspired