Perfect Baked Potato

I am not a big fan of potatoes-mashed/baked/fried.. they just seem so boring!

NOT THIS ONE!!!!!!!!

Best baked potato I've ever made actually. It even got compliments from other, more experienced, potato bakers and eaters.

I guess it could even be just a snack, instead of a side..it was a bit much with this dinner.

You can use any toppings you like: chives, bacon, cheese, olives, corn, beans and even tuna or shredded chicken.

I used what I had- chives, cheddar cheese and some sour cream to top it off.

I like it when the skin is crisp, and I think most people prefer it cooked that way too. In that case, NEVER wrap it in aluminium foil! Just stick it in the oven as is.

I used 3 medium-large potatoes and cooked them for 45 mins at 400 F on the middle oven rack.

Prepping them is easy:

-clean the potatoes

-rub salt and olive oil or butter on them

-poke holes all over it with a fork

Then after baking, take out the fluffy insides and mix them in a bowl with some cheese and chives and put everything back into the "shells". Top them off with more cheese and bake some more until it melts.

They are now ready to eat! garnish with extra chives and sour cream.

Classy Cheese Balls

I am obsessed with Cheese!! There's so much you can do with it: eat it on crackers, make pasta sauces, grilled cheese sandwiches...

On my recent trip to Paris- I was served these cheesy puff pastries before dinner instead of bread. They were served hot with some light butter on the side.

So ofcourse I decided to recreate them.

[The 3 puffs on the plate]

For my recipe I used a personal favourite- Gruyère cheese!

This is what you will need:

6 Tablespoons Butter

1 Cup Water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Cup flour

4 Eggs

1 Cup Gruyere Cheese (grated)

In a medium pot on high heat, combine water, butter and salt and bring to a boil.

Stir in the flour and keep stirring until the consistency looks like this:

Then transfer the dough in a mixing bowl and add the eggs mixing on low speed.

Leave the mixer on until the bowl feels cool to the touch (may take several minutes).

Finally, mix in the cheese..

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F

Transfer the mixure into a freezer bag or ziploc bag and cut off a corner so it acts like a pastry bag.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper to avoid making a mess and START SQUEEZING!

As you can see I'm not the greatest at making pretty puff pastries but they were still really delicious!

Bake until they look golden brown or for 25 mins.

This recipe made about 40 puffs, but I didn't make them very big- just bite sized.