That evil and sneaky tofu strikes again...

We've prepared a few recipes with tofu now and have really enjoyed experimenting with the bland protein that comes in a variety of textures. The dinner we prepared tonight, Spicy Mumbai Potatoes, would be a good way to slowly introduce tofu as you would never know it was in this new take on twice-baked potatoes!

While you don't have to do this next suggestion, I always like to prepare baked potatoes by rubbing them with a bit of olive oil and sprinkling each with coarse salt. This allows the skin to get crisp and delicious with a salty bite that we enjoy. If you don't care for the skin on the potatoes, you could just skip this part.

The time needed for baking the potatoes will completely depend on how "large" they are... we needed to wait just over 60 minutes for ours to be tender enough - I think you could certainly do this part ahead of time and just refrigerate them once they have cooled, if needed. As the potatoes baked away, we continued on by sautéing a cup of thinly sliced leeks until they had softened and just began to turn golden. Minced fresh ginger and a couple cloves of garlic are then tossed in until they release their supreme fragrant aroma - once you smell them, the leek mixture is then spiced up with ground coriander, cumin and turmeric for a ting of golden color. Green peas, along with a little water to help cook them, are the last addition and take just a couple of minutes.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, most of the potato innards are scooped out - be sure to leave about a 1/4" border on the inside to give some integrity to the spuds skin. The potato meat is then smashed with a healthy dose of pureed silken tofu, with the leek and pea mixture being folded in last. This is then spooned back into the potato shells (or transfer it to a sturdy zip-loc bag and pipe it in!) and the filled shells go back into the oven to thoroughly heat through and the tops get a little crunchy.

Of course, I told Jeff after he scarfed down his portion if he noticed anything unusual - the only thing he commented on was the interesting (in a good way) blend of spices and how he loved the creaminess of the potatoes! Score another victory for tofu - of course, he gave the evil eye when he heard "tofu" and "hidden", but I think he was happy I didn't hide mushrooms inside! He did try the "but... but... but... I don't like peas!!" trick, however once again he ate them with a silly little satisfied grin! These are a little more adventurous than your average stuffed potatoes, but we are now both very excited to have the leftovers at lunchtime tomorrow!

Recipes
Spicy Mumbai Potatoes