With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, I couldn’t help but share a potato recipe. Even if the recipe is more of a marriage between Ireland and Italy.
I’ve been making baked potatoes for a long time. Before I was married a baked potato for dinner (with not much else) was a perfectly fine meal for me. Not long ago I learned a tip for baking potatoes that makes them even better plus there’s less work. I had always used a fork to prick the potatoes before baking them so the steam released and they wouldn’t explode. Thanks to our friends, Lisa and Lou R, I now pop them in the oven with no pricking. Keeping the steam inside makes them extra moist and soft. I use tongs to test the potato as this keeps in the steam but still allows me to determine if they are cooked. The good news is that so far I haven’t had any potatoes explode.
The sauce for this recipe looks like a pretty traditional Italian red meat sauce, but there’s a twist at the end. Adding mascarpone cheese makes it extra creamy and a great consistency for a topping on a baked potato. You also sneak in some healthy baby super greens (such as baby kale, chard and/or spinach) into the sauce. If you know someone who isn’t a kale fan, this is a great way to get some kale into their diet without them knowing. Let’s just say that I have first hand experience with this.
While a jarred marinara sauce works fine for this recipe, if you have time I’d recommend making Josephine’s Marinara Sauce (Red Sauce). This is my Sicilian mother-in-law’s recipe – it’s super easy and tasty. Despite having grown up on jarred tomato sauce, when I met Ed (and his family) I quickly realized that it would never have a place in my home as an adult. I always make extra and freeze it so we have some on hand.
Speaking of freezing, how about making a double recipe of this sauce so you have some on hand for a second meal? It would also be great on pasta. I have some in the freezer right now and I think I’ll try it on gluten-free potato gnocchi (I like DeLallo).
| Baked Potato with Sausage, Tomato and Super Greens Sauce | Print |
- 4 medium russet or baking potatoes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (pork or turkey), casings removed
- 1 medium onion, diced
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups marinara sauce (see Notes)
- 5 ounces mixed baby super greens (such as kale, chard and/or spinach)
- 6 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Wash, scrub and dry potatoes. Do not prick with a fork. Place on a baking sheet. Bake until very soft when pinched with tongs, about 1-1/4 hours.
- In a 4 to 5 quart Dutch oven or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage, and using a wooden spoon, break up meat into small pieces. Cook until brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate.
- Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat (or if there’s none remaining, use the additional tablespoon of olive oil) and cook onion with ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add red wine to deglaze the pot. Cook for 2 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated. Add garlic and stir for an additional 1 minute.
- Add sausage back into the pot. Add marinara sauce and greens to pot. Bring to a boil and cook until greens have wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in mascarpone until the mixture forms a creamy sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately over cooked potatoes with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Or refrigerate until ready to use and reheat.
Source: Variation on a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis’ Weeknights with Giada (2012)
Leave A Comment