Baked potato with ham and broccoli cheeze sauce

Baked (or jacket) potatoes are the ultimate comfort food... and they're especially versatile as the base for a gluten-free meal. Although Alton Brown's one hour baked potato recipe is hands-down the best-tasting, my friend Kari convinced me to get past the fear of nuking vegetables and give my potatoes a pre-bake boost in microwave. Now, instead of a labor of love, baked potatoes are a quick weeknight dinner.

The only "must" for this meal is russet potatoes. They make the fluffiest, best-textured baked potatoes. By all means try other toppings: canned veggie chili, instant Indian curries, and leftover shepherd's pie filling all make excellent, quick meals over a potato.

Baked potato with ham and broccoli cheeze sauce

vegan, gluten-free

serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 medium (or 2 large) russet potatoes
• 2 C chopped broccoli
• 1 1/2 C diced faux ham
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• A batch of this cheeze sauce-- substitute cornstarch for the flour and tamari for the soy sauce
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. I place a cookie sheet on the bottom, below the rack, to catch any drips.
• Scrub each potato and poke all the way around with a fork (about 10 times). Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 5 minutes. Flip potatoes and squeeze to estimate done-ness. If they don't give at all, microwave for another 5 minutes. If they give a lot, try 2 minutes. Practice makes perfect gauging the time for this step.
• Chop broccoli and faux ham while potatoes are in the microwave. I like a pretty small dice so that the pieces flow with the sauce. Don't worry if it takes you longer to chop than the potatoes take-- it's good to let them sit in the microwave and steam for about 5 minutes after they're done cooking.
• Remove potatoes from microwave, drizzle with olive oil, then very carefully use your hands to rub the oil over the entire skin. Another reason to let them sit for a few minutes-- they're HOT! Sprinkle with salt and place on the oven rack.
• Make the cheeze sauce.
• Turn potatoes.
• Add broccoli and faux ham to cheeze sauce, along with a bit of water to thin out sauce if needed. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until broccoli is tender.
• Remove potatoes, let sit for 5 minutes. I like to cut them once lengthwise and three times across, then squeeze them open-- I think I got that from Alton Brown. Cover with cheeze sauce, garnish with black pepper, and enjoy!
• *If you make more than you need, these are great reheated for lunch-- you can even microwave the whole thing!