Oven-baked potatoes

Name: Oven-baked potatoes
Ingredients: 4 medium potatoes (800 g); 1500 ml water; 40 g butter; 2 garlic cloves (6 g); 1 teaspoon fine salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon coarse salt; 150 g brânză în burduf

Appetizers - Oven-baked potatoes by Teona L. - Recipia

Oven-baked potatoes are briefly boiled first, then browned in a pan with butter and garlic, with salt scattered on the bottom of the dish. Brânză în burduf, a Romanian cheese, goes over the hot flesh after you cut them, while the skins stay whole and lightly browned, making a hearty side for meat. I choose potatoes that are similar in size so I don’t have to take them out of the oven at different times. Prep: 10 minutes. Cook: 38 minutes. Total time: 48 minutes. Serves: 4. Approximately 340 kcal and 12 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes (800 g)
1500 ml water
40 g butter
2 garlic cloves (6 g)
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt
150 g brânză în burduf

Preparation

1. Wash the potatoes without peeling them. Put them in a pot with 1500 ml water and boil for 8 minutes from the moment the water comes to a boil, until the tip of a knife just starts to pierce the outside. 2. Drain them and leave them to dry off. Mix the butter with the crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon fine salt and the pepper, then coat the potatoes. 3. Sprinkle the coarse salt over the bottom of a roasting pan and place the potatoes on top. Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes, until the skins are browned and the insides are tender. 4. Cut the potatoes in half and put the brânză în burduf over the hot flesh.

Notes

I serve them with roast pork or chicken, without any other sauce. Brânză în burduf can be replaced with well-drained telemea, a Romanian brined cheese, in the same quantity; both add dairy to the plate. Floury potatoes crack more easily, while waxy ones hold their shape, so the variety also changes the final look. Potatoes larger than medium may need another 3-4 minutes of boiling, while very small ones soften faster. Don’t rush the coating: let them drain well after boiling, or the butter will slide off the skins. A Drycooker isn’t essential; you can use a roasting pan or an oven-safe skillet, with the potatoes in a single layer. If the cheese is very salty, use 1/2 teaspoon salt in the butter mixture. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; when reheating, the oven keeps the skins firmer than the microwave.