I haven’t eaten a baked potato in a really long time. It’s not a comfort food I crave when it gets cold. It was however something really easy to make and I needed to use up some veggies and toppings before they went off. I also baked the bacon in the oven, and it tastes so much better - crispy, flat, and the fat drips below, so it’s not cooking in it. The salad is all from the farmer’s market, and was a nice warm compliment to the potato, rather than a cold salad. Here’s how it happened:

Serves 4 (or 2, then 2 for lunch the next day)

4 Large Russet Potatoes

4 strips of bacon

1 shallot, minced

1/2 lb green beans

1 bunch of spinach

1/4 lb of Shitake mushrooms

salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375. Wash potatoes, and puncture with a fork so they don’t explode. Rub with salt and olive oil. Place on a foiled cookie sheet in the oven for 1 - 2 hours. They’re done when you can stick your fork easily through the skin.

2. Place bacon on a roasting pan, with slats, and bake in the oven with the potatoes for about 20 minutes.

3. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat add couple tablespoons of olive oil and add the shallots. Let them cook for about 2 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for another couple minutes. Add mushrooms, cook for a minute, and then add spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Salt and Pepper to taste.

4. Slice open potatoes and fill with your favorite stuff - I used creme fraiche, bacon, raw onions, and chives. Johnathan had cheddar cheese on his rather than the creme fraiche. Use whatever you have on hand!

If you buy Bill’s SyndeyFood Cookbook, you’ll notice that while the recipes shots and recipes look amazing, the names of the dishes are just descriptions of the ingredients. Let me clarify - there are no “Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies”, or “My Best Friend Fred’s Awesome Corn Fritters”, it’s a bit boring actually, but I can’t deny the great flavor combos. This was another super easy dish, and I’m really loving roasting all this stuff. The taleggio cheese was something new for us, and it’s a great sandwich/melting cheese - it’s not at Trader Joe’s but in the fancy intimidating cheese case at WF, but worth it. So here’s the recipe, with no fun name, for the roast mushrooms and taleggio:

Serves 4

8 large portobello mushrooms

1 tablespoon roughly chopped thyme (I used Rosemary b/c that’s what I had)

4 tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

1 large garlic clove, cut into 8 slivers

6 1/2 oz baby spinach, washed (I used arugula which was really nice)

5 oz taleggio cheese, sliced

to serve

4 thick slices of toast

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place the mushrooms in a roasting pan. Mix thyme, olive oil and lemon juice together and pour over the mushrooms. Place a slice of garlic on each mushroom and bake the mushrooms for 10 minutes in the oven.

2. Meanwhile, place the spinach (undried, with water clinging to the leaves) in a frying panover medium heat and turn with a spatula until wilted.

3. Remove the mushrooms from the oven. Top each mushroom with a little spinach and some sliced taleggio. Return to the oven for 5-6 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Place 2 mushroms on each slice of toast. Drizzle with pan juices and balsamic vinegar.