the Mighty Spud

Many of you read about my domestic backsliding from Friday's post. For the record, the scissors did make it off my floor and onto the table, but the bathrooms still have yet to be cleaned (ah...there's always tomorrow).

But since I started the conversation about trying just a little harder around home, I thought I would show you some shots from one of my favorite go-to meals when I'm really not in the mood to cook: the mighty spud.

Now, I rarely remember to actually put the potato in the oven when I'm supposed to, so I've developed a handy little procrastinator's trick to making a fluffy, crispy baked potato in a fraction of the time. Here's the trick:

:: take one or two potatoes (forked, of course, lest they explode) and put them in the microwave on high for at least 5 minutes. Conveniently my microwave has a "potato" setting so I just put the spuds in and hit Go.

As you might have learned, however, nuked potatoes are neither fluffy nor crinkled, so after the microwave is finished, I move on to step two: the toaster oven.

:: place the potatoes in the toaster oven on 400 degrees and bake (unfoiled) until the skins are wrinkled (about 10-15 minutes). They turn out just the way a baked potato should, minus all the waiting.

Then come the toppings. Judging by my photo above, you can see that I like cheese, carmelized onions (red is the best!), fresh chives and a little protein. I most frequently use chicken, but this time I sauteed up some deli ham (I was truthfully craving bacon but we didn't have any...).

Aren't they pretty all piled up like that?

For a final and NECESSARY touch I definitely don't forget the dollop of sour cream. I LOVE sour cream. A potato isn't a potato without it.

And yes, I do eat the skins.

Down to the last bite. Extra fiber, you know.

What are you eating this week?