Overloaded Baked Potato

 

Backstory:

My wife and I were on a getaway weekend for our 14th wedding anniversary at a small cabin by a lake. Being an anniversary, we decided to have a celebratory meal and settled on a nice big ribeye steak as the core of the meal. We tacked on the idea of a loaded baked potato as a side and since it was a celebration we threw caution to the wind and skipped the veg. As I was preparing the steak and potato I was suddenly struck with a question. Why eat the steak and potato separately? Why not make a big lovely pile in the spirit of nachos but with a baked potato as the base? So here we are with what I am calling my overloaded baked potato.

Recipe Video

Ingredients:

  • 1 thick-cut ribeye steak, roughly 1 pound plus

  • 2 large russet baking potatoes

  • 4 strips thick-cut good quality bacon

  • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar or strong cheese of choice

  • 1/2 cup sour cream or creme fraiche

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • scallions or chives for garnish

Caramelized Onions

  • 5 lbs large yellow onions

  • 1/4 cup neutral oil

  • 1 tbsp coarse kosher salt

Chimichurri

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

  • 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

  • 2-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed,

  • 2 small red chilies, or 1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon finely chopped chili)

  • 3/4 tsp dried oregano

  • 1 tsp coarse salt (add more to taste)

  • fresh cracked black pepper, to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Method:

  1. Caramelize onions

    1. Preheat oven to 400F

    2. Cut off top and root of onions. Slice in half lengthwise and peel the outer funky layer off.

    3. Slice onions 1/4 thick. Slice lengthwise if you wish them to remain strips or if you want them to break down a bit more slice across the grain.

    4. Add onions, oil, and salt to a dutch oven or other heavy pot and toss to coat.

    5. Cover pot and place in the preheated oven.

    6. Set a timer to stir the onions every 15 minutes. Continue this 15 minute cycle until the onions are as dark and jammy as you desire. If at any point the onions appear too dry or are starting to crisp or stick to the pan add a splash of water to hydrate and loosen.

    7. Remove from heat and store in an airtight container in the fridge once cool.

  2. Cook bacon

    1. Slice bacon into 1/2 inch lardons.

    2. Fry to your desired crispiness. I like super crispy for this recipe but your choice.

    3. Reserve bacon fat.

  3. Bake potatoes

    1. Preheat oven to 400F

    2. Wash, scrub, and dry taters. We are going to eat the skins so NO GRIT!

    3. Poke taters a few times with a fork to allow for steam escape.

    4. Rub taters with butter or oil of choice, if you have made your bacon already use some of the reserved bacon fat here.

    5. Place on a baking sheet and bake until tender all the way through and/or internal temp of 205F is reached (will carry to 210F).

  4. Make chimichurri

    1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to release all of the flavors into the oil before using. Ideally, if time allows, let it sit for more than 2 hours.

    2. Chimichurri can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for 24 hours, if necessary.

  5. Cook steak

    1. Pull steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cook time. Salt heavily on all sides and allow to sit at room temp.

    2. Cook steak to medium (if using ribeye) or your preferred steak temp using your preferred method, pan-seared, grilled, broiled, your call.

  6. Plate and serve

    1. Take one tater and slice it in half lengthwise all the way through the skin. Slice each half again to make quarters or sixths depending on the size of your potatoes. Turn the tater spears 90 degrees and slice across making baked tater chunks. You want a bite of potato and all the fixings to fit in your face hole. Make your cuts appropriately.

    2. Pile your baked tater bites in the center of a plate. Drizzle melted butter over the taters. If you pan-seared your steak and basted it with butter you can reuse that butter from the pan. Salt and pepper taters to taste with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Drizzle over bacon fat and any resting juices from your steak.

    3. Sprinkle half your cheese over the taters. You can assist the melt with a torch if necessary.

    4. Slice your steak in 1/4 inch wide strips then slice those in half. One-half of the strips will go for each tater plate. Spread half of the steak evenly over your potato cheese mound.

    5. Spread the desired amount of caramelized onions over the steak.

    6. Drizzle the desired amount of chimichurri sauce over the steak.

    7. Place a fat quenelle of sour cream or creme fraiche atop your steak peak.

    8. Sprinkle with sliced scallion or chives.

    9. Repeat for the second tater.

    10. Shovel food into face hole and enjoy.

Attributions:

 
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