Baked Potatoes with a Cheesy Broccoli Sauce
Cheesy potatoes and you’re supposed to believe these are healthy? Yup. The cheese sauce is thickened with a slurry and then old cheddar is used sparingly; when you use a strong cheese you can get away with using less. Also, by using a full head of broccoli you really stretch the amount of sauce and add a ton of vitamins. I’d also like to take a moment to discuss the health benefits of potatoes; they are a vegetable and they are not the enemy when it comes to a lean body. Everything in moderation number one but also potatoes are full of fibre which has been proven to be key to the success of any weight loss program. Remember; it’s not the potato that’s naughty, it’s what you do to it that could be problematic!
Serves 4
1 Head of broccoli, florets only
1 Cup milk (I used 1%), divided
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ Cup old cheddar, grated
Salt
Pepper
4 Medium Russet Potatoes, scrubbed and baked (see notes)
Bring a pot of water to boil and add some salt; once boiling, steam the broccoli for 5 minutes then strain and set aside.
Bring ¾ Cup of milk to a boil, meanwhile whisk the remaining ¼ cup of milk and flour together until smoothe (this is the slurry).
Add the slurry to the milk once it has come to a boil and once the milk has thickened add the Dijon mustard and mix well.
Stir in the cheddar and once it is completely melted, add the broccoli to the cheese sauce.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
To serve, slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and pour some of the sauce evenly over the potato.
Notes:
- You can also add cauliflower to the sauce or use it in place of broccoli (it just won’t be as pretty!).
- To bake a potato, scrub the skin clean and pierce with a fork. Then you can bake the potatoes in the oven, wrapped in tinfoil at 400 for about an hour OR leave the potato unwrapped and use your microwave by pressing the potato button to the number of potatoes you are “baking”!
