Twice Baked - Two Ways

The other day a dinner guest commented that when Jan's cooking, you always have options.  I am not a short order cook, nor have I ever prepared special meals for the kids.  However, I usually have a lot of variety on the plate.  I will normally throw 2, 3 or 4 veggies together, cook up 2 kinds of fish, or do a surf and turf.  Another example is these twice baked potatoes.  If you're going to do them one way, you may as well do them two.  All it requires is a couple of extra steps and another bowl.

The first one is a cheddar potato, and the other is a (here it is again...) pesto potato.  Once the potatoes have baked thoroughly at 450 degrees, slice in half and scoop out the flesh into two bowls.  Mix both with a teaspoon of light butter (not margarine) and a shot of skim milk.  I added 1/2 cup of grated sharp cheddar to one bowl and about 3 tablespoons of pesto to the other.  Mix until they have a creamy texture and place back in the skins.  Bake for another 20 minutes at around 350 degrees, and you have two great sides instead of one.

If you are not in the habit of eating the skins, you may want to reconsider - they are very nutritious.  A baked potato with the skin has about 7 grams of fibre, 7 grams of protein, almost 18% of your daily iron, and are also loaded with Vitamin C, B6 and Potassium.