Sing Along and Elegant Potatoes

When you're a Cook,

You're a Cook all the way

From your first omelet

To your last cheese souffle

When you're a Cook,

When the butter hits the pan,

You got eaters around,

You're a family man!

You're never alone,

You're never disconnected!

You're home with your own:

When company's expected,

You're the Cook elected!

Then you are set

With a capital C,

Which you'll never forget

Till they cart you away.

When you're a Cook,

You stay a Cook! 

Okay - singing not your thing? Try these potatoes instead of your regular side of mash or baked or however you've been enjoying spuds lately.

Baked Potatoes Stuffed with Anchovies, Bacon and Sage (serves 4)

adapted from Jamie Oliver's "Cook with Jamie" page 304.

Don't let the anchovies scare you. You wont' taste the fish. You will taste a buttery richness as the anchovies melt into the potato. Trust me on this one. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

4 medium sized potatoes, skin on (try Yukon Gold)

olive oil

sea salt

2 slices of bacon (cut in half)

4 fresh sage leaves

4 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained

1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced lengthways

Zest of one lemon

Stick one end of an apple corer into the potato and twist to remove a "core" from the potato. Repeat with other three spuds, reserve the core. We are going to use it like a cork.

Lay out the stuffing for each potato. A piece of bacon, a sage leaf, an anchovy, a sliver of garlic. Grate some lemon zest over each stuffing. 

Fold and twist the stuffing into a little sausage shape (4 of them) and stuff into each potato. Cut the potato cores and use as corks to hold the stuffing in place. They will stick out a little, that's okay. 

Prick each potato with a fork, rub with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for one hour, turning every now and then, cook until skin is crisp and golden.

Don't tell anyone about the anchovies, they will never guess. But DO sing them the Cook song..