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The Simple Spud Is One Hot Potato

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

Take a break from baked potatoes by serving these fanned, rustic spuds topped with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and olive oil.

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By LYNN KESSEL

Tribune correspondent

Published: February 18, 2009

When I was growing up, my parents considered Saturday evenings sacred in our house. It was the one night of the week when Mom fixed steak and baked potatoes.

But my brother, sister and I weren't invited. Mom made us a separate, early dinner. We ate pot pies.

"Downright one-sided," I'd mumble.

"You've got your choice of beef, turkey or chicken," Mom would say.

"How come we can't have steak and potatoes?" I'd protest.

"Because you're not old enough to appreciate it," she would answer.

In silent resentment, the three of us would stand in front of the stove while Mom carved the top of the frozen pie crusts. With the tip of a steak knife, she'd draw the letter "T" for turkey, "B" for beef and "C" for chicken. This kept us from quarreling about who got which one when she later pulled them from the oven.

Saturday evenings were like date night for Mom and Dad.

In addition to the intimate dinner for two, their weekly rendezvous always included watching the "Jackie Gleason Show," sans the kiddos, as they called us.

Toward that end, we bathed early and were sent to bed. Tucked in the top bunk of the bunk bed, I'd try to listen to the show. About the same time as Gleason would introduce the June Taylor Dancers and say, "And away we go!" the aroma of grilled T-bones filtered down the hallway from the kitchen. I knew their communion with the beef and spud had begun.

It just wasn't fair.

But years later, when I became a parent, I finally got it. That Saturday ritual was the highlight of their week, a fun way to escape us momentarily and go out on a date - at home.

The idea was pure genius!

Try this special spud to dress up your date night.

HASSELBACK POTATOES

6 long baking potatoes

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup bread crumbs

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon paprika (hot variety optional)

Coarse salt, to taste

4 teaspoons fresh parsley, minced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Oil a large, shallow, glass baking dish. Rinse and scrub the potatoes. Place one potato on a cutting board and lay a wooden-spoon handle alongside the length of it. This prevents you from cutting right through to the bottom of the potato. Using a sharp knife, make quarter-inch slices, cutting down vertically. Repeat until all the potatoes are cut this way.

Place the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, paprika and salt in a food processor; process until blended. Brush potatoes with the remaining olive oil and pat the bread crumb mixture on top of each potato. Place potatoes in the oiled baking dish, then cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle minced parsley over the tops and serve.

Serves 6.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com. For more of her recipes, visit southshore.tbo.com and enter the search words: Lynn Kessel. Readers are encouraged to send in their favorite recipes, comments and suggestions.

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