Baked Potatoes with Roasted Broccoli & Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
4 -6 Russet Potatoes
12oz Broccoli Florets (2-3 Heads)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
3 tbsp Butter
3 tbsp Flour
1 1/2 cups Milk
8 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated or shredded
1/2 tsp Ground Mustard
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Wash and dry potatoes and poke holes with a fork or knife (I actually witnessed a potato exploding, it’s a real thing!). Bake until they can easily be pierced to the center with a fork or knife, about an hour.
Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces and add to a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread out in the pan. Bake on the top rack for 15-20 until tender and starting to char. While broccoli is in the oven, make the cheese sauce.
Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Add flour and whisk together. Allow to cook for a minute or two to cook the flour.
Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Slowly add cheeses, whisking to combine and until smooth.
Add ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Taste before adding salt as the cheese is salty.
Cut open potatoes, top with cheese sauce and broccoli.
Notes:
Set an hour timer when you put the potatoes in the oven (I bake my potatoes directly on the middle oven rack). When there’s 20 minutes left on the time, add the broccoli to the top rack. Then make your cheese sauce, which can sit on low for a few minutes, if needed. Just whisk again before using.
The cheese sauce thickens as it cools. If it gets too thick or you prefer it thinner, add milk and whisk until the desire consistency is reached.
The cheese sauce is delicious, you can make it just for broccoli, or as the base for macaroni and cheese. Add 8 oz of macaroni and you’re done!
I recommend shredding your own cheese.
You can make the baked potatoes however you prefer, I like to rub mine with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. The skin gets a bit crispy!
I go ahead and get the broccoli ready and set aside until there’s 20 minutes left on the potatoes. I like to put them cut side down to maximize browning in the oven.
Don’t be me, make sure to whisk while you add the milk. But it’s hard to whisk, pour, and take a picture at the same time. It just required some extra whisking to get it smooth again.
It took 3-5 minutes to thicken. This is what coating the back of a spoon looks like. Dip the spoon into the sauce and rake your finger across it. If it stays a defined line, you’re ready for cheese!
Add the cheese a little at a time so it melts nicely into the sauce.
Seasoned and ready for potatoes.
This is the char you’re looking for, the bottoms touching the pan will be even more golden.
Look at that cheesy goodness. We eat this as a vegetarian main dish, but you can make it a side and have chicken breast or steak along with it.
