What to Eat Wednesday- Baked Potatoes Florentine

A little bit of green with your dinner- a perfect start for March!

My friend Rebecca gave me some new meal suggestions. She had these on her blog and it sounded like a great take on something we can all agree on around here. The baked potato.
We love baked potatoes, and we really love feta. The spinach is hit or miss though. I used to think that I didn't like spinach. But really its more like I dislike frozen spinach. Anyone else think it tastes a little like dirt?

Rebecca described these little pockets of yumminess perfectly- "These were really flavorful...I just love how feta melts in your mouth with that creamy/salty tang."
It seems funny to think of having feta warm. I am used to eating it cold- but I think it is even better warm.


I tweaked the recipe just a little bit. Only by baking the potatoes in the oven with a little oil, salt & pepper added to the skins to help crisp them up. And making extra topping. I made a lot of these potatoes- we eat leftovers for lunch- and I am so happy to report that these make tasty leftovers. Especially if you get to eat them at home and reheat them in the oven again.

I doubled the potatoes and tripled the spinach mixture- Adjust this recipe to fit your family or leave as is.

4 Idaho baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bag (9 ounces) spinach, coarsely chopped *
1/2 tsp sale
1/4 tsp pepper
1 large egg, separated
1 package (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese**

*We buy the huge thing of Sam's Club spinach- if we lived near a Costco it would be Costco spinach
**We love feta so much we buy it in bulk

Heat oven to 400. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Place on paper towels in microwave and cook on high for 16 minutes, turning halfway through.
(Instead of using the microwave I baked them in the oven-Lightly coat potatoes with oil and pierce with a fork. Salt and pepper the potatoes then put in oven. Bake for about an hour.)

Meanwhile, cook onions in olive oil for 7-8 minutes. Add 1/2 the spinach and cook down slightly. Add other 1/2 and cook until all is wilted. Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and the pepper.

Remove from heat and cool slightly in a large bowl.

Line a baking sheet with foil. After potatoes are baked place potatoes on foil. Cut open and sprinkle with remaining salt. (I did omit this step- since I had added the salt to the outside)

Beat the egg white to stiff peaks. Stir in the egg yolk to the slightly cooled spinach mixture and all but 2 T of the feta cheese. Fold in egg whites. Divide mixture evenly onto potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining feta.
Bake at 400* for 10 minutes. Turn oven to broil and leave in 2 minutes more.



This is probably the only time that I don't serve these with any other condiments. Usually our family gets out sour cream and a few even like to put BBQ sauce on their potatoes. But not these. They stand all on their own.