Baked Potato Cups with Sweet Corn & Bacon
Introduction
A great prepare-ahead brunch or lunch dish, these are not difficult to make but be warned that it is a three-step process. You need to cool the potato cups before removing them from the tray or they will be too soft and collapse. The final baking turns the outer shell of the potato crisp and golden.
Serves: Makes 8-9
Ingredients
1 kg (2 lb 2 oz) potatoes (mid-season or floury — I used agria), peeled and cut into chunks
Salt
Butter
2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
½ cup chopped shallot
100g (about 4 oz) dry-cured middle bacon, rind removed, roughly chopped
¼ tsp curry powder or ¼ tsp smoked paprika, optional
400g (14 oz) can cream-style sweet corn
6 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
Method
1 Cook potatoes in gently boiling, salted water until tender. Drain. Dry out pan, return potatoes to pan and mash to a purée. Add one tablespoon of butter, half a teaspoon of salt and the parmesan cheese. Taste and check there’s enough seasoning.
2 Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Put shallot, bacon and one tablespoon of butter in a medium-sized frying pan (skillet) over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until golden. Stir in curry powder or smoked paprika if using, then the corn and tomatoes.
3 Generously butter a deep muffin tray. Squish the mashed potato into the muffin tray cavities, bringing it up around the sides. Brush exposed potato with melted butter. Bake potato cups until golden around the edges. Fill with sweet corn filling and return to oven and bake for a further 15 minutes until lightly golden.
4 Rest the potato cups for at least 15 minutes. Carefully scoop them out of the muffin tray (they will be soft on the bottom) onto a baking tray (sheet). Return to oven and bake for a further 15 minutes, until the potato is golden underneath. Serve hot or warm with salad or grilled mushrooms.
