A baked potato is a plate you never wash.
Bake the russets at 400F for fifty minutes in the afternoon, or microwave each one five minutes a side once you get in. Either way the potato is the slow part and the chili was made days ago.
Split them open, fluff the insides with a fork, salt them, then ladle chili over and pile on cheddar, sour cream, and sliced scallions. Four plates, one pot, nothing to drain.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 4. Plan on 10 minutes to finish (plus earlier prep).
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 3 cups prepared chili
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
How to Make It
- If the potatoes are not pre-baked, microwave each one 5 minutes per side until tender.
- Warm the chili in a pot over medium for 5 minutes until hot.
- Split each potato open, fluff the inside with a fork, and sprinkle with salt.
- Ladle chili over each potato, then top with cheddar, sour cream, and scallions.
Do the Slow Part Early
Bake the potatoes and cook the chili ahead so the night is just warm and top.
- Bake the potatoes in the morning at 400F for 50 minutes
- Make or open the chili and keep it ready to reheat
- Shred the cheese and slice the scallions before practice
Store and Reheat
Store the potatoes and chili apart so the potatoes do not turn soggy.
- Microwave a potato 2 minutes, then reheat the chili 2 to 3 minutes
- Add a splash of water to the chili so it does not dry out
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Serve with: a crisp side salad, cornbread, pickled jalapenos
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Fluff before you ladle
Dragging a fork through the middle lets chili sink in instead of sitting on top.
Store the two apart
A potato left under chili overnight turns to wet paste by morning.
Canned chili is fine
Two cans, and nobody at the table asks where any of it came from.
A jar of pickled jalapenos
It lets the adults fix their own plate without another pot on the stove.
Sweet potatoes work too
Same times, and it wins over the kid who refuses a plain russet.
Plan the next step
Keep cozy fixes ready
Use the planner to stock simple, warming dinners like this for the nights you want comfort fast.