011 / 75 · Bowls, breakfasts and small meals
Broccoli and Cheddar Loaded Potato
2 loaded whole potatoes, each with 100 g (about 3.5 oz) broccoli, 30 g (about 1.1 oz) cheddar and 40 g (about 1.4 oz) yogurt · Active 14 min · Cook 18 min · Total 35 min
Print recipe · PDFA microwave potato has a soft skin, which is useful when the filling is the point. Cook two similar potatoes together, then use their resting time to start a small bowl of fresh broccoli. Cheddar melts over the hot vegetables and yogurt is added after the final heat. The result is a complete potato plate without pretending the microwave has made a baked, crisp jacket.
Choose two potatoes that match
Two potatoes of similar weight and thickness are easier to cook together than one long thin potato and one round thick one. Pierce their skins and leave space between them on the plate. Turn and swap their positions midway through. Each potato must be tender through the middle before it receives a filling; check both rather than treating the pair as a single object.
Keep the broccoli pieces small
Use the stalk as well as the florets, but cut the peeled stalk more finely so it finishes with the softer tops. Divide the cooked broccoli between the two potatoes and let its little amount of cooking water moisten the flesh. Yogurt stays out of the final melting stage. Add the measured spoonfuls just before eating so the contrast remains clear.
Ingredients
- 2 floury potatoes, 250 g (about 8.8 oz) each, 500 g (about 17.6 oz) total, scrubbed and dried
- 200 g (about 7.1 oz) fresh broccoli: florets cut to 2 cm (about ¾ in) and peeled stalk cut into 5 mm (about 3/16 in) pieces
- 30 ml (about 2 US tbsp) water
- 60 g (about 2.1 oz) cheddar, grated
- 80 g (about 2.8 oz) plain yogurt
- 0.5 g sweet paprika, about ¼ tsp
- 1 g (about ⅛ US tsp plus a small pinch) fine salt
- 0.2 g (a small pinch) ground black pepper
Set out
1000 W microwave with turntable, Microwave-safe plate, at least 26 cm (about 10¼ in) across and free to rotate, Microwave-safe bowl, 1 L (about 1.1 US qt) capacity, Microwave-safe vented covers for plate and bowl, Fork, Knife and board, Spoon, Kitchen scale and measuring jug, Food thermometer, Oven mitts
Allergens
Milk. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Prick each potato 8–10 times with the fork. Put them apart on the plate. Microwave at 1000 W full power for 5 minutes. Turn both over and swap their positions. Cook another 4–6 minutes, until a knife reaches the middle of each easily. Add 30-second bursts if either remains firm. Leave the potatoes to stand outside the oven for 3 minutes.
- During that stand, put the broccoli and 30 ml (about 2 US tbsp) water in the 1 L (about 1.1 US qt) bowl. Cover with its vented cover. Microwave at full power for 3 minutes, stir, then cook 1–2 minutes more until the stalk and florets are tender. This bowl occupies the oven after the potatoes come out; the stages do not heat simultaneously.
- Slit each potato lengthways without cutting right through the base. Open the tops and fluff the flesh with a fork. Divide the salt and pepper between them. Put half the broccoli and its cooking water into each, then add 30 g (about 1.1 oz) cheddar per potato. Dust each with half the paprika.
- Cover the plate with its vented cover and microwave at full power for 1–2 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the cheese is softened and the filling reaches 165°F/74°C in both potatoes. Stand covered for 2 minutes. Add 40 g (about 1.4 oz) yogurt to each and serve immediately.
Soft skin is expected
The microwave cooks potato flesh well but does not produce a dry oven-baked skin. No hidden oven or grill stage is required.
The full portion is one potato
Each person receives one 250 g (about 8.8 oz) raw-weight potato plus half the broccoli, cheese and yogurt. It is not half a potato with an unmeasured extra filling.
Ingredient labels
Check any flavored yogurt or cheese substitute labels if changing the base ingredients.
A useful detail
The 35-minute estimate allows preparation, up to 18 minutes sequential heating, assembly and the final 2-minute stand. The broccoli starts during the potato’s 3-minute stand but can continue beyond it; there is only one oven. Thick potatoes may need extra bursts. Times are starting ranges for a 1000 W microwave. Use the stated power setting, stir and turn as directed, and use the food endpoint rather than the clock alone. A different wattage or bowl shape may need additional short bursts.
Another way
- Use 200 g (about 7.1 oz) cauliflower cut into 1½ cm florets instead of broccoli; allow an extra 1–2 minutes if the stalk pieces remain firm.
- Replace the cheddar with 60 g (about 2.1 oz) crumbled feta and keep the yogurt. It will soften rather than form stretchy melted strands.
Keep it well
Refrigerate leftover potato and filling in shallow covered portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below; use within 3 days. Keep unused yogurt cold separately. Reheat a portion covered, turning midway, until 165°F/74°C in several places and stand 2 minutes before adding yogurt.