Southwest twice-baked potatoes

The inspiration for this recipe actually came from Andrew. I made jacket potatoes the other night and there was half of one left and some leftover avocado. Andrew scooped the potato out, mashed it with the avocado, seasoned it, and created something that was actually really tasty. After trying a bite, I thought that would be really nice as a twice-backed potato with lots of Mexican seasonings and topped with a chunky homemade salsa.

You may think it’s weird to bake avocado, but it’s actually really delicious. A really popular dish in the states at the moment is made by cracking an egg into half an avocado and baking it in the oven until the egg is cooked, and eating it straight out of the avocado skin. If you’re vegan like me, you can just pop it under the grill with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lime juice or perhaps sprinkled with some melty vegan cheese and enjoy it that way.

Anyway, back to the recipe. This is really simple to make – you just have to make sure your avocado is ripe (which can be tricky in the UK, I know), and that you have the right spices and you’re good to go! Perfect, quick, Mexican-inspired weeknight meal.

Ingredients

• 2 large baking potatoes
• 1 large, ripe avocado
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 lime
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• Pepper
• pinch of chili powder (optional)

For the salsa

• Small or cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• Dash of red wine vinegar
• Squeeze lime juice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220c.
2. Rub a bit of olive oil and salt on the potatoes and prick them several times with a fork. Place on a baking tray and cook for around 45 minutes (times will vary depending on the size of your potatoes).
3. In a medium bowl, add the avocado, garlic, lime juice and spices and mash until everything is well mixed. Adjust seasoning to taste.
4. To make the salsa, combine all ingredients and set aside.
5. Remove the potatoes and allow to cool for a couple minutes. Cut in half and scoop out the inside of the potatoes, ensuring you leave enough in there so that the skins don’t collapse. Add the potato to the avocado and mix well, adjust seasoning to taste.
6. Put the potato/avocado mixture back in the skins and bake for a further 10-15 minutes.
7. Remove the potatoes and serve with homemade Mexican rice (recipe here), black beans and top with the chunky homemade salsa.

*You can cut time by cooking the potatoes in the microwave first for around 8 minutes. Make sure you prick them with a fork, and add the oil/salt right before popping them in the oven for around 15 minutes.