Hot potato!

No really, potatoes are kind of hot right now.

I suppose they’ve been quite popular for a loonng time, mostly because they’re cheap, available year-round, and last a while hanging out in your pantry before sprouting some green limbs and going bad.

Not to mention they’re versatile.

Umm and guess what?

Potatoes are pretty healthy too!

I’m not talking about potatoes drenched in butter and smothered in cheese… although that does sound rather appealing at the moment. (I do have a cheesy, buttery potato recipe for you over here… in case you’re interested.)

I’m talking about potatoes themselves.

People often think that potatoes are bad and consequently scream “carbzzz!” like freakin’ bloody murder.

Sheesh.

If you want to be a complete diva and give Ariana Grande a run for her money, go for it, but hear me out.

Potatoes are perfect vehicles for a ton of nutritious (gag, hate that word) toppings, like veggies, herbs, spices, beans, avocado! and maybe even a fried egg if you’re not a vegan individual.

Um yeah, bacon bits, shredded cheese, and sour cream may be traditional toppings, but why play it safe when you can take a walk on the green side.

(And yes sweet potatoes are pretty darn amazing too… see here, here, and here, but surprise! I wanted something completely savory.)

For my loaded baked potato (fluffy russet!) I opted for crisp-tender broccoli sauteed in olive oil, bright green peas, “cheesy” nutritional yeast, and kraut. Don’t forget some fresh ground black pepper, and a little salt never hurt nobody.

Now that’s a stinking delicious situation.

P.S. You could go all out and top your potato with creamy avocado slices and a perfectly crispy fried egg. In fact please do that… or just the avocado at the very least. Kale chips would be nice as well.

P.P.S. In case you don’t even know how to boil water, let alone bake a potato, first heat your oven to a hot 425 degrees, then scrub your potato under running water, pierce it several times with a fork to avoid any exciting explosions, pat that thing dry, then plop it directly on the middle oven rack and bake for about an hour or until it’s completely tender when you *carefully* stab it with a knife.

P.P.P.S. I recommend baking several potatoes at once so you can heat the leftover potatoes in the microwave or whatever when you’re busy and famished. Who wants to wait an hour for a potato anyway? I do not recommend cooking a raw potato in the wave though… the heat is just too uneven.