LOADED SMASHED POTATOES
I recently become a huge fan of smashed potatoes.
If you don’t know what they are you need to try them!
The crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and make the perfect meal, appetizer or snack.
They would be perfect for the big football game in a couple of weeks.
The nice thing is that you use smaller potatoes to make these Loaded Smashed Potatoes which creates the perfect finger food.
These Loaded Smashed Potatoes are baked until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and then topped with two different Sargento®cheeses: Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Sargento® Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican .
The smashed potatoes are then returned to the oven to let the cheese melt and be-come gooey and delicious. Who doesn’t love cheesy potatoes?
Once you remove the potatoes from the oven you top them with your favorite toppings.
I used fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro and green onions.
The options when it comes to loading these potatoes up are endless.
These Loaded Smashed Potatoes even make a quick, great tasting meal.
You can add black beans or shredded chicken for protein along with salsa to boost up the flavor.
I think the best part of these potatoes though, is the cheese!
I am a cheese lover, so I like to load it on.
And if you purchase two bags of Sargento® Shredded Cheeses (Sharp Cheddar Cheese and 4 Cheese Mexican) you don’t have to worry about it going to waste with all of the delicious, cheesy ideas I am about to give you!
Today’s Loaded Smashed Potatoes use Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Sargento® Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican.
Sargento® brand happens to be my favorite brand of cheese to buy. Mike is from Wisconsin so we are all about sup-porting his cheese loving state.
I also like that Sargento® Shredded Cheese is al-ways shredded from blocks of real, natural cheese.
That makes me feel good about feeding it to my family.
Sargento wants to create a community of Real Cheese People™ who declare their preferences, express their passion and share their love for real cheese.
That is something I can get on board with. Great tasting meals start with cheese fresh off the block.
Now since I am a cheese lover I am going to share some of my favorite ways to use Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Sargento® Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican.
They happen to all be meals you can easily make for your family including one that works great for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack.
First is this Chicken Feta Cheddar Pita Pitza.
My kids go crazy for this spin on pizza.
Chicken Feta Cheddar Pita Pitza uses an easy four ingredients to create a pizza {using pita bread}, shredded chicken, feta cheese and Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese that is toasted and topped with fresh parsley.
These pita pitzas make the perfect dinner or lunch!
For those cold days I love making this Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili packed with beans, vegetables and loaded up with Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese and your favorite chili toppings.
White Chicken Chili is a hearty, flavorful soup that is easy to make in 30 minutes or less.
Just prepare all of your ingredi-ents, simmer it in a pot and you have a delicious meal. Serve this for tailgating or on a cool, crisp day and leftovers freeze great for later.
Another meal I love making for my family are these Slow Cooker 4 Ingredient Shredded Beef Tacos.
You know how much I love my slow cooker and these tacos are tender, juicy and make great leftovers. Slow Cooker 4 Ingredient Shredded Beef Tacos are a simple weeknight slow cooker meal.
You can put this in the slow cooker before you start your day and have dinner waiting for you.
This recipe takes 4 simple ingredients to create a flavorful taco filling: chuck roast, salsa verde, onion and garlic. Once you are ready to eat the ta-cos load them up with Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, cilantro and red onion.
Loaded Smashed Potatoes
Loaded Smashed Potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and loaded with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, green onion and cilantro. These make an easy family meal or appetizer for game day or a party!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. red potatoes, medium sized
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup Sargento® Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican
- 1/2 cup Sargento® Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- 4 green onions, green parts chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, loosely packed, chopped
Instructions
- Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over medium high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. It took me about 25-30 minutes to cook.
- Remove the potatoes from the water and set them on a clean dishtowel and use another clean towel to dry them. Let the potatoes sit for 2 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- On a nonstick baking sheet place the potatoes. Using a potato masher or the back of a fork mash each potato until almost flat.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Using a brush, brush each potato with the olive oil mixture on both sides of the potato.
- Roast the potatoes until they are crispy and browning on the edges, about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle each potato with the two cheeses. Return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and top with tomatoes, sour cream, green onion and cilantro {or whatever your favorite toppings are}.
Notes
You can use whatever medium sized potato you like. I have always enjoyed red or the yellow potatoes when doing smashed potatoes. Try adding things like black beans, shredded chicken, corn and salsa. Get creative!
