Lunch Archives - Page 8 of 8

Finding our way back to team dinners and gatherings with friends – this recipe is foolproof (from Ina herself), economical, fits most dietary needs, and makes teenagers happy! Baked Potatoes with Chive Yogurt Sauce – classic and timeless. Welcome back to the spotlight!

Our kids enjoy playing sports, and it’s been a while since we have seen everyone gather together for a team dinner. We knew exactly what to make when this crew joined us – classic baked potatoes for a crowd. A Barefoot Contessa recipe that is on repeat in our home, served up with yogurt chive sauce, a big Caesar salad and homemade ice cream sandwiches (recipes coming soon!). The best part is, if you have a large cooler, you have a warming oven to make this ahead!

The chive yogurt sauce is key here – a slightly healthier take on sour cream that brings a thick consistency with the tang of greek yogurt. Plenty of salt and pepper and fresh chives round it out – this makes a great dip for cut veggies and pita chips as a snack or appetizer too.

I find this recipe is perfect for crowds with differing dietary needs – it’s vegetarian, gluten free, and if you expand your toppings you can satisfy meat eaters with chopped bacon, sautéed ground beef, or even buffalo chicken and cheese. It fills everyone up, and is a nice change from the typical pasta and pizza dinners we often use for crowds of athletes. I think baked potatoes deserve to be back in the spotlight – 80’s style.

Note that the recipe below is meant to feed 20 hungry teenagers – you should scale back for a family dinner – or not? They make great leftovers!

Baked Potatoes with Chive Yogurt Sauce

Print Recipe

Old school baked russets with a sour cream and yogurt topping, flecked with chives, salt and pepper - a classic that deserves to be back in the spotlight!

Course Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword baked potato, potato, sour cream, chives

Servings 20 people

Ingredients

15 lbs Russet Potatoes
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
24 oz Sour Cream
24 oz Plain greek yogurt
1 Tbsp kosher salt
3/4 Tbsp cracked black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, placing two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the space.
Scrub the potatoes clean and allow to dry fully. Pierce each potato several times with a fork to prevent explosions, and help with even heating. Place the potatoes on two 1/2 sheet baking pans, allowing for a little space between the potatoes. Drizzle the olive oil between the two pans, rubbing to coat the poatatoes evenly all around. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt. This seems like a lot, and while it doesn't permeate the potatoes, it creates a flavorful crust on the skins.
Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until the potatoes register 210 degrees. Let them rest, covered loosely with foil until ready to use. (See note about keeping warm for longer periods of time below!)
While the potatoes are cooking, combine the yogurt, sour cream, salt, pepper, and chives - chill until ready to eat.
Dollop each potato generously with the chive sauce - enjoy!

Notes

This is an incredibly easy recipe to multiply or scale back - the cooking times are all the same. If you need to cook the potatoes well in advance, you can use a large cooler (hard pack not a soft cooler) to keep them warm. This works for all kinds of foods - consider for Thanksgiving with side dishes! Simply fill the lower third of the cooler with hot water for 15 minutes, empty the cooler and dry fully, then load the potatoes and close the lid. Instant warming oven! Will keep for an hour or two as needed.

Recipe credit - This is a classic Barefoot Contessa Recipe - CGBC (Cooking Goddess, Barefoot Contessa). It has become our go-to team dinners for the kids sports gatherings. Thanks INA!

There’s something about being from Maine that makes you feel slightly superior in a few areas of food – this is one of them. Tasty lobster is allowed to be the star with only the best ingredients folded into a brioche bun – simplicity rules when you have lobster as the main ingredient. These are easy and can be made ahead earlier in the day.

Lobster was a big part of my childhood in Maine – we spent our summers at Ocean Point, where my family celebrated all the milestones (graduations, Labor Day, birthdays, etc.) by having a lobster bake on the rocks in front of our house. I will definitely do a post on this later! Ironically, I hated lobster until I went to college. I would eat the potatoes, the sausage, the corn, and pretty much everything else out of that lobster bake – but not the lobster. Things have changed. I’m happy to say that my love of lobster is big, and nothing beats a good lobster roll. The best part is this is a year round treat (we have them for dinner on Christmas Eve!) that never disappoints, and always feels special. Last weekend, I saw my parents in person for the first time in 8 months, and this was the perfect meal for that day! Thanks for bringing the fresh lobster meat from Maine, Mom & Dad!!

The ingredients I find essential are the usual suspects – celery and mayonnaise, along with fresh lemon juice and capers, chives, salt and pepper. If you can find Kewpie mayo, it’s a worthy splurge for the fancy lobster. I order it on amazon – it’s a Japanese spread that is used by chefs all over the world, touted for it’s tangy flavor.