Vegetarian or Vegan Baked Potatoes With Apple.
Baked Potato With Apple
Baked potato with apple.
Cook Time
Perfect Baked Potatoes, a Wonderful Light Lunch.
Potatoes are cheap and healthy, they are also rich in complex carbohydrates, so they help to keep you feeling fuller for longer making it easier to resist snacking between meals. They also contain a surprisingly high level of immune-boosting vitamin C, vitamin B and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and iron. Recent scientific research points to the humble potato containing blood pressure lowering molecules called kukoamines too. So they can save you money and help to keep you healthy too.
There are sixty different types of vitamins and phytochemicals in potato skin, so cooking them whole and eating the skin as well as the flesh is the best way to reap all of the benefits from this delicious tasting tuber.
My family all love baked potatoes and I’ve found a good way to fancy them up a bit is by adding some apple, onion and cheese and then twice baking them. This recipe for baked potatoes with apple is very easy to make and tastes delicious.
These baked potatoes are a meal in themselves, or you can serve them as a side dish with a cooked dinner. I’m told by my husband that they go really well with roast pork and ham, as the apple taste compliments those meats. These potatoes with apple are quite a low calorie too, especially without the cheese, so they make a guilt-free lunch or supper dish.
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes
- 1 large cooking apple, such as a bramley
- 1 large onion, white or red
- 2oz butter, or olive oil
- 5oz cheese, grated or vegan alternative
- salt and pepper, to taste
- pinch dried mustard powder
- pinch dried hersb
- 2tsb extra virgin olive oil
- 1tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Clean the potatoes very well and prick the skins all over with a fork. Rub a little extra virgin olive oil into the skins and season with a little salt and pepper.
- Place the potatoes onto a flat, greased baking sheet and cook in a moderate oven, 200c for about an hour and thirty minutes.
- When they are cooked remove the potatoes from the oven but leave the oven on.
- Set the potatoes aside for a few minutes until they have cooled enough to handle safely. Cut each one in half lengthwise and scoop out the cooked flesh into a large bowl. Be careful to leave the shells of the potatoes intact as you are going to refill them. Mash the potato flesh well with the butter and a little olive oil.
- Peel, core and dice the apple and toss it in the lemon juice to prevent it discolouring.
- Peel and finely chop the white onion.
- In a skillet or frying pan heat up the remaining extra virgin olive oil and gently fry the onions for a few minutes. When the onions have started to soften and become translucent add the chopped apple. Fry for a further three or four minutes until the apple has softened as well.
- Remove from the heat and add the onion and apple to the mashed potato. Add the dried mixed herbs and the mustard powder and mix well. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells and top with the grated cheese. Put the filled potato shells into a shallow, greased baking dish and return them to the oven
- They will need a further 15 - 20 minutes to cook. They should look golden and puffy when done.
- Serve with a tossed green salad for a light, nutritious meal. Children seem to love this dish but they might prefer it if you leave out the mustard powder.
Make This Dish Vegan.
You can make this dish vegan-friendly by leaving out the cheese and substituting vegan spread for the butter, or just using all olive oil. I have tried making this dish with some of the vegan cheese alternatives, they work best if you grate them really finely before adding them, this helps them melt. This dish also works well if you add a few chopped and toasted walnuts, this helps add some extra protein.
You can also make this dish using large sweet potatoes, tastes just as delicious, just reduce the cooking time by about a third as they do tend to bake quicker than ordinary potatoes.
However you try this dish, please enjoy.
© 2010 Galaxy Harvey