The Pioneer Woman Cooks (49 page)

Pour the ketchup into a small mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and dry mustard, and splash in the hot sauce. I’m pretty generous with it because I like a little spice.

8. Stir the mixture until well combined.

9. Pour one-third of the tomato gravy over the top of the meatloaf.

10. Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another one-third of the remaining tomato gravy over the meatloaf. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

11. Serve with the remaining tomato gravy on the side as a dipping sauce.

Serve the meatloaf with PW’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes (Supper) or Olive Cheese Bread (Supper). Delicious!

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Makes 16 twice-baked potato halves

If you have a tableful of guests banging the table with their forks and knives, chanting, “We wanna eat! We wanna eat!” there are few things that can quiet them down more quickly than a huge platter of piping hot twice-baked potatoes. Whether it’s for Fourth of July or Christmas dinner, I love whipping these up in bulk. The gleeful smiles on my guests’ faces are worth every step.

Twice-baked potatoes would be in the “Freezes Beautifully” section of this cookbook…if this cookbook actually had a “Freezes Beautifully” section, which it doesn’t. If I know I’m going to freeze the potatoes, I usually omit the green onions from the mix, as freezing can cause a strange chemical reaction in green onions; if you’ve ever taken a bite when that has happened, you know exactly what I mean.

But let’s not dwell on that nonsense. Let’s make twice-baked potatoes! Just listen: the utensils are already banging the table.

8 baking potatoes, scrubbed cleanCanola oil8 slices thick-cut bacon, fried ½ pound (2 sticks) butter, cut into slices1 cup sour cream½ cup milk¼ to ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s½ teaspoon black pepper2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese2 green onions, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2. With a paper towel, rub the outside of the potatoes with canola oil.

3. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked inside and the skins are slightly crisp. Turn the oven down to 300ºF.

4. Dice the fried bacon into bits.

5. Throw the butter, sour cream, bacon, milk, seasoned salt, and pepper into a large bowl.

6. While the potatoes are still hot, hold each potato in a towel and cut in half lengthwise. 7. With a large spoon, scrape out the insides into the bowl with the other ingredients.

8. Repeat until all the potatoes have been scraped. Reserve the potato shells on a large baking sheet.

9. Use a potato masher to mix the ingredients together.