The Promise of Spring – Stuffed Baked Potato with Buffalo and Broccoli Recipe

Spring comes later to the Northland. While others have shared blooming flower photos,  today I saw the first signs of spring flowers on a brief walk. Hail to Spring! Cloud cover makes the days dreary. In the morning temps hover around freezing and then go up by 20 degrees or more. Yoyo weather! The sun burst through today and the birds were singing a sweet song in the neighbors evergreen. What to do when the weather is still not springy!?

Here’s a recipe for Stuffed Baked Potato with ground Buffalo meat and Broccoli.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground Buffalo meat [1/4 pound for each half of potato]

1 medium onion fine chopped

2 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of olive oil,

1 tablespoon olive oil for coating (each) potato(s)

1 large Russet potato per person [or 1/2 potato per person]

1 medium size broccoli flower head steamed (per whole potato)

Romano cheese for grating

Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven at 375 degrees. Wash and dry the russet(s) and use a fork to poke holes in the skin to let out steam. Then rub with olive oil and place a on a piece of tin foil in the oven. At the half way point turn the potato over and continue baking. Bake for about 30 – 40 minutes until the insides are soft. I used a towel to do the squeeze test. Skin will be somewhat crisp.

While the potato cooks. Put three tablespoons of olive oil in a pan with the finely chopped onion. Then a couple of cloves of chopped garlic. Cook to soften then add the Buffalo meat and break it up as you would for beef.  Cook over a slow/low fire adding basil, salt and pepper to taste. Buffalo meat is lean. The olive oil prevents it from drying out. I use a heavy cast iron pan and cover with a cast iron cover to let simmer. Keep an eye out that it doesn’t dry out. Turn off and keep covered. At the end add salt and pepper to taste.

In the mean time, steam the broccoli heads in a covered pan in about an inch or two of water, after they are cleaned and rinsed. I cut them up, after they are steamed, which takes about 10 minutes or so. I like them still green and non – mushy..so cook according to your taste.  Remove from pan to stop cooking, but cover to keep warm.

About now, the potato is done, cut the potato in half length-wise. Place side by side and flat on your  plate. Scoop the inside of the potato with a fork or knife to loosen the potato from the skins. You can add butter at this point and mix. This is not mashed potatoes, but well mixed and loose inside the skins. Salt to taste if not using butter.

Next spoon the cooked buffalo meat onto the potato halves. Drain and cut the broccoli florets and heap on top. Lastly take a nice Romano hard cheese and grate over the top. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.

The benefits of Buffalo meat – lean protein. Ground Buffalo meat costs $10 dollars a pound. But I enjoy it once in a while. You could make four potato halves for four people. The Romano cheese adds a sharp contrast to the tamer ingredients.

If you are wondering why I don’t dress it up with sour cream or some other glop; it is because I savor those basic flavors of a hearty meal. Who needs the fat?

There it is – Buffalo stuffed potato with broccoli and Romano cheese recipe.

Stuffed Bake Potato with Buffalo Meat, Broccoli and Romano Cheese – CKatt April 2017

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen!

Have a warm and happy day wherever you may be.

I am bringing this to Fiesta Friday to share with the wonderful cooks from around the world, who share their culinary experiences each week. The cohosts for Fiesta Friday #166 are Mollie @ Frugalhausfrau and Ginger @ Ginger and Bread.