Hassleback potato with Mushroom, Spinach and Cheese

Our food trails usually lead to places which leave us surprised with unexpectedly delicious food. And our recent visit to the K Factory - one of the newly opened restaurants in Baner left us wanting to order all the dishes on the menu. All the dishes we ordered had the signature of a chef with superior culinary and mouthwatering presentation skills. We had to contend ourselves with promises of another visit to wipe out the remaining items on the menu. Talk about losing weight. Sigh!

One of the dishes we had there was the hassleback potato topped with creamy mushroom, spinach and Gouda cheese, which left us in a food coma before we could even begin with the main course. A simple yet outstanding dish with a multitude of textures and flavors. After the coma wore off, I deconstructed the dish to identify the ingredients in it.

While I couldn’t lay my hands on Gouda cheese, I decided to attempt to make the dish with regular cheese and tofu. The results were comparable and just as delicious. While the restaurant served the potatoes topped with the cheesy mushrooms and spinach, I decided to reverse the order, just so that the hassleback received all the attention it deserved!

All those looking for a reasonably healthy brunch or dinner without compromising on the taste, here is the dish to cook. Did I mention it’s supremely simple and quick to make?

P.S – Ping me if you want a (p)review of Stardust by Neil Gaiman! J

Hassleback potato with Mushroom, spinach and cheese

Cook Time	30 min
Prep Time	10 min
Serves	1

Ingredients
1 medium size potato	Washed (keep the peel on)
4-5 mushrooms	Washed and sliced
8-10 leaves Spinach	Washed and chopped
Cheese	1 cube, grated
Tofu (optional)	4-5 small cubes
Bread	2 slices grilled/toasted
Garlic or regular Butter	½  Tea spoon
Oregano	To taste
Salt	To Taste
Pepper	To Taste
Cooking oil/olive oil	1 Tea Spoon

Directions:

Preheat the oven for 10 min at 180° C

Cut the potato into medium width slices without fully cutting them through. Pour some oil and ensure it covers the entire potato. Sprinkle some oregano dressing onto it and bake it for 15 min on 180° C.

Meanwhile, heat a small shallow pan and bring the butter to melt in it. Add the sliced mushrooms and toss on high for 1 -2 min. Add salt and pepper as per taste and toss for another minute. Add the chopped spinach and stir for another minute. Add 3/4^th of the grated cheese and tofu cubes into the pan and stir. The mushroom and spinach should reach a cheesy consistency. Add a spoon of milk to help melt the cheese and tofu further. Stir for another minute and check for salt and pepper.

Bring out the hassleback potato from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese on it and bake of for another ten minute.

Serve the hassleback potato on a bed of cheesy mushrooms and spinach with toasted bread!