These potatoes, oh man. I can’t get enough. They’re perfectly cooked – crispy and salty on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside – and topped with a mountain of spring vegetables, creamy black eyed peas and the thickest most delectably awesome cashew sour cream ever. When I sat down to write up the recipe for this post and noted that you’ll need two russet potatoes, 3/4 – 1 pound each, it immediately made me think of those giant pound plus chocolate bars at Trader Joe’s. The wrapper used to read something along the lines of, “if you eat this whole bar you will gain more than a pound.” Consider these Loaded Vegan Baked Potatoes the healthier equivalent of gorging yourself on a giant chocolate bar. It’s definitely a lot of food but it’s all veggies, so who cares! These potatoes are also the answer to my very non-vegan husband’s oft-asked request for more vegan mains.
For the most amazing oven baked potato I’ve ever laid a fork on, I’ve got to give credit to a good ol’ Google search for helping me find the steakhouse method described by Tastes Lovely. I slightly adapted her recipe to settle on a tater that rivals all taters. The secret(s) are, in a very particular order: thoroughly coat the potato in olive oil and sea salt, roast at a high temp (425 F) for an hour and do not – I repeat do not! – poke your spuds with a fork or wrap in tinfoil. Sit them on some parchment paper and call it a day. At the one hour mark, pull those spuds out and drop them from about 10 inches onto a counter or cutting board. Yes, you read that right. The impact breaks up the insides and yields a fluffier potato. Once you’ve smacked ’em around a bit, cut into the top of the potato and pinch the sides to widen the opening, then sprinkle with more sea salt and use a fork to further fluff up the insides. Potato nirvana.
As if things couldn’t get any better, the fully loaded toppings for these potatoes include zucchini, asparagus, corn, black eyed peas and green onion. I’ve given instructions for cooking these on the stove top but this would make a killer barbecue meal. Simply oven cook the potatoes as directed, brush the zucchini, asparagus, and whole ears of corn with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill outside. Make a whole potato bar of toppings! I love black eyed peas in this recipe, because they’re light and mild in flavor. You could sub cannellini beans but I’d stay away from black beans or garbanzos. Last but definitely not least, cashew sour cream. I worked really hard to make this the stuff of dreams. Actually, my Vitamix worked really hard. With only three ingredients – soaked cashews, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt – cashew sour cream is one of the easiest vegan condiment subs to make. For extra thick and rich results, use as little added water as possible and let the blender run for a few minutes. The result, a pillowy bowl of sour cream perfection. I know I say this about everything, but seriously, I want to put it on all the things.
Ok, that’s enough talk from me. Let’s eat potatoes!
- 2 russet potatoes (3/4 - 1 pound each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 cups zucchini, chopped
- 2 cups asparagus, chopped
- 1 cup prepared black eyed peas (drained and rinsed if using canned)
- ½ cup frozen corn
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for 2 - 24 hours*
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup water
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Rub the potatoes with olive oil until very well coated and then sprinkle with salt. Place the potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 1 hour. (Do not poke any holes in the potatoes!)
- After removing the potatoes from the oven, drop onto a plate or cutting board from 10" up, this will help break up the center of the potato and yield a fluffier filling. Cut a slit down the length of each potato and pinch the edges together to make the opening bigger. Sprinkle with more sea salt and black pepper use a fork to further fluff up the insides.
- When the potatoes have 15 minutes left to cook, begin preparing the veggie filling. Heat tablespoon oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and zucchini and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add corn to pan and cook 2 minutes more. Lower heat to medium and add black eyed peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To assemble potatoes, top with the veggie filling, add sour cream and garnish with green onions.
- Add drained cashews, apple cider vinegar, salt and ⅓ cup water to a high speed blender (such as a Vitamix). Using the variable setting, start on low and gradually increase the speed until you reach the highest setting. Continue to blend on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- For a more pourable sour cream, add up to an additional ⅔ cup water.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
