baci's baking - Potato Pops

I'm going to take a quick jaunt away from the ridiculously simple and share this tasty, labor-intensive recipe I adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. The final product is incredibly delicious, so if you can bear with the multi-step process you'll be delighted! Martha calls her version Baked Stuffed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic. . . that is exhausting, so when I took these to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday we took to calling them Potato Pops and it stuck :)

Potato Pops

(recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)

1 head garlic, ½ inch cut off top

coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

1 T., plus 2 t. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1½ lb. baby Yukon Gold potatoes

⅓ c. sour cream

1 t. finely chopped fresh thyme

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Place garlic on parchment-lined foil. Season with salt and pepper, generously drizzle with oil and wrap. Roast until fragrant and soft, about 1 hour. Leave oven on.

3) Cover potatoes with salted water in a large pot. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes.

4) Drain, and return to hot pan. Let stand for 5 minutes to dry.

5) Halve potatoes crosswise. Trim rounded ends of each half slightly, so potatoes sit flat with cut sides up.

6) Scoop out flesh using a ½ t. (it works great since it’s small), leaving a thin layer on the bottom and sides. Transfer flesh to a bowl.

7) Stir in oil, sour cream and thyme. Squeeze garlic cloves from skins into potato mixture. Blend with hand blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

8) Fill each potato half with about 1¼ t. potato mixture, mounding slightly.

9) Place potatoes 1 inch apart on sheet and lightly drizzle with oil. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

*Note: If making for dinner instead of as an appetizer, use regular sized Yukon Gold Potatoes instead of the baby ones.

(Photo from Martha Stewart)