I grew up eating Loaded Potato Skins from Jake's Charbroil in Damansara Heights. I have never quite encountered any like it, as they're less cloying than the usual potato skins we get at any other joints. It took me YEARS to figure out how they made the skin so crispy, and now I get to make it at home whenever I want (and as much as I want). It's easy to make with little ingredients. The only thing is just that it takes a bit of skill to figure out if the potatoes are ready to be cut and cored. Nevertheless, practice makes perfect and don't worry about ruining the skin. I usually fix them by making a bowl out of aluminium foil to hold them together until just before I load the fillings as it should be crispy and shaped by then.

- Small-Medium sized Russet Potatoes (approx 1/person)

- Olive Oil

- White Onions (diced)

- Capsicums (diced)

- 100g of beef steak (optional)

- Cheddar Cheese (grated)

- Sour Cream

- Pickled Jalapenos (optional)

1. Wash the potatoes, pat dry. Coat it generously with olive oil and cook it uncovered in an oven/ air-fryer for about 160-180 Celcius degrees for about 45-60 minutes. The skin should be hard, very crispy and slightly separated from the flesh. If it's not crispy yet, do not try to core it. Load it back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook the beef until well done and crispy. Cut them into small diced pieces and pop it in the same oven, let it cook until dry and remove. Set aside.

3. Once potatoes are done, take it out of the oven and cut them in half. Let cool slightly, then carefully core out the cooked potato flesh bit by bit. Careful to not break the skin, but core out until leaving a very very thin layer of flesh that holds the skin together. If the skin is cooked well in the oven earlier, it should hold like a bowl.

4. Coat the inside of the potato with a generous amount of olive oil and put it back into the oven for another 5-7 minutes at the same temperature as earlier. Once done, it should harden even more and the inside will be golden.

3. Mix the white onions, capsicum and steak together and spoon them into the potato 'bowls'. Top it generously with cheddar, and pop it back into the oven and wait for the cheddar to melt and crisp a little at the top.

4. Serve with sour cream (and pickled jalapenos if you like!).

What I usually do is turn them into creamy mashed potatoes. Instead of using milk, I now use cooking cream to make it creamier. Add butter, salt, pepper, cayenne and dried oregano to the mashed potatoes and serve it as a side, or as a snack when refrigerated. Don't forget to add some parmesan if you like em tangy and cheesy ;) 

One of the things that I love making (and my husband loves to eat) would be this easy peasy cottage pie. The ingredients are simple and to make it is even simpler. This recipe came about when I first started cooking years ago and I never knew how to make shepherd's or cottage pie so this is considered as my cheat version of it. I just love meat and potatoes and this dish is hearty, flavorful and fool-proof. I have no exact measurements for this recipe, but I'm sure most of you are able to gauge the ingredients according to your own taste.

2 large russet potatoes

200-300g minced meat

One handful of Swiss Brown mushrooms (sliced)

One carrot (diced)

1/2 large yellow onion (sliced/ diced)

1 tbspn dried Oregano

2 cloves of garlic (diced) / 1 tbspn garlic powder

1 can of medium sized Campbell's Mushroom and Potage condensed soup

1 cup of water

Milk & Butter for mashed potatoes

1 tbspn melted butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Cut potatoes into squares and boil until soft. 

2. Meanwhile, in another skillet sweat the onions, garlic and mushroom in a bit of olive oil, add the meat and cook until brown. Add the carrots and mix well. 

3. Pour in the Campbell's condensed soup into the meat skillet and water, mix until the soup is not chunky. Add oregano and let it simmer until the water dries up a little. Add pepper.

4. Drain the potatoes, mash it with a little bit of milk & butter. Add salt if needed but don't go overboard as the soup is pretty salty. My secret to a creamy mash is to add cooking cream instead of milk but it is up to you.

5. Pour the meat mixture into a baking pan, and then the mashed potatoes on top and spread evenly. Create peaks using fork, and brush the top with the melted butter.

6. Put the baking pan in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees celcius for about 5 minutes or until the top of the mash is cripsy and golden. Serve!

You can keep this as leftovers, serve it at a party or even serve it in individual aluminium muffin cups. Hope you'll like this as much as my husband does!

Tag me @haniehidayah on instagram if you've tried any of the recipes, I'd like to see them!

Bon Appétit

Tag me @haniehidayah on instagram if you've tried any of the recipes, I'd like to see them! 

Bon Appétit