“Pots of Gold” Baked Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream & Leeks

Happy St. Paddy’s Day, everyone! If you are wondering how to commemorate the holiday, look no further. I’ve got a simple, St. Paddy’s Day recipe that should fit the bill and would also go great with some Irish beer. Because really, what could be more Irish than potatoes and beer? (Actually, perhaps whiskey, but you can have that for dessert.)

Anyway, for this St. Paddy’s Day, I decided to do a twist on baked potatoes with sour cream. I wanted to keep the simplicity of the dish but also add a lot more fun for your taste buds and a little sprinkle of fancy schmancy just because.  Enter mustard crust, an ooey gooey flavor-packed outside to our little pots of gold. Blending the cream with some parsley and chives also gives the dish a nice brightness of flavor and adds a lovely, St. Paddy’s Day-appropriate green color. Finally, a sweet mustard drizzle (made with your leftover mustard crust mixture) and some sautéed leek greens complete the dish. Think: a lovely rainbow of flavors spiraling out of a little golden nugget, bringing good fortune to your taste buds every time you take a bite. Yum!

A couple notes about the recipe:

-Different brands of mustard will have different flavor profiles. I used Sir Kensington brand “Spicy Brown Mustard,” which is pleasantly tangy with some sweetness as well.

-It’s a good idea to use potatoes that are about the same size so they will bake evenly when you cut them into pots of gold!

-This recipe is Low-FODMAP as long as you use lactose-free sour cream and ensure that the mustard you choose does not contain any FODMAPs. (Sir Kensington’s does not.)

“Pots of Gold” Baked Potatoes with Herbed Sour Cream & Leeks

Potatoes

• 10 medium gold potatoes (about 3 pounds total)
• ⅓ cup spicy brown mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
• Salt, to taste, depending on the saltiness of your mustard and personal preference

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet tray with parchment paper. Wash, dry, and de-eye the potatoes; then cut in half horizontally and place face down on sheet tray. Mix together the mustard, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Rub the peels generously with the mustard mixture, reserving about 1 tablespoon for the sweet mustard drizzle. Bake until cooked through and golden brown on the undersides, about 30 minutes.

Sweet Mustard Drizzle

• 1 tablespoon of the mustard mixture, above
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons water

Mix all ingredients together.

Herbed Sour Cream

• ½ cup loosely-packed parsley, small stems okay.
• ⅓ cup sour cream (I used lactose-free)
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Process all ingredients in a blender.

Leeks

• 2 tablespoons oil
• Greens from one leek, about 2 ¾ cups chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Place the chopped leek greens in a bowl of water and let them sit for 10 minutes. Scoop them out and ensure they are free from dirt. (If they aren’t, repeat the soaking process and then rinse well.)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble

Top the potatoes with the leeks, cream, and sweet mustard drizzle. Serve with extra cream on the side. Enjoy!