Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 Yukon Gold or russet potatoes (about 12 ounces each), well scrubbed and dried
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup thinly sliced fresh chives or scallions (white and light green parts)
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 teaspoons good balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the potatoes directly on an oven rack. Bake for 30 minutes, then prick all over with a fork. Continue to bake the potatoes for 30 to 40 minutes more, or until soft when squeezed. Remove the potatoes from the oven and increase the temperature to 375°F.
- While the potatoes are still hot, hold each one with a towel and cut off the top quarter lengthwise. Gently scoop out the flesh, making sure to leave enough flesh attached to the skin that the potato still holds its shape, and transfer the flesh to a bowl. Scrape the flesh from the tops and add to the bowl; discard the top skins or eat as a snack.
- Using a fork, smash 2 tablespoons of the butter into the potato flesh until it is melted. Add the sour cream, chives, all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese, and the vinegar. Work in the ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Don’t overmix; it’s okay if the mixture has a few lumps.
- Spoon the filling back into the reserved shells, mounding it nicely and making sure the filled shells can stand upright. (At this point, you can wrap each potato and refrigerate for several hours, or overnight, until ready for the final baking.)
- Remound the filling if you refrigerated the potatoes and it got flattened, and dot each potato with a little of the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle each potato with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Place in a baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are warmed through and starting to nicely brown on the top. (If baking straight from the refrigerator, allow 10 to 15 minutes more to heat.) Serve hot.
