Mexican-Style Baked Potato with Cashel Blue, Beans and Salsa
Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes
For the bean filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, diced
2 tsp smoked paprika
400g tin of kidney beans, drained
200g tomatoes, chopped
For the blue cheese dip:
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp crème fraîche
60g Cashel Blue cheese
For the salsa:
200g tomatoes, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
10g fresh coriander, finely chopped
How to make it
Mexican-Style Baked Potato with Cashel Blue, Beans and Salsa is a hearty and flavour-packed twist on a classic comfort food. The fluffy baked potato is loaded with smoky beans, fresh salsa, and a generous crumble of creamy, tangy Cashel Blue – Ireland’s famous farmhouse blue cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Score the potatoes and place them in the oven.
- Meanwhile, make the bean filling: heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the red onion and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened. Add the garlic, then after a minute add the red pepper and smoked paprika. Cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook gently for about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes reduce and the mixture thickens.
- For the blue cheese dip, combine the mayonnaise, crème fraîche and Cashel Blue in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Make the salsa by mixing the diced tomatoes, half red onion, and chopped coriander. Season to taste.
- When the potatoes are cooked through (soft inside, crisp outside), remove from oven. Slice each potato in half lengthways and spoon the bean filling into them.
- Scatter Cashel Blue over the filled potatoes, then put them back under a hot grill (or in a hot oven) just long enough to melt the cheese.
- To serve: drizzle the blue cheese dip over the potatoes, top with the fresh salsa, and sprinkle over a little more Cashel Blue if you like.
