By Cambria Kelly and Rosie Lu
For this special edition section, we embarked on an ambitious, and boy was it ambitious, to create a feast of baked potato variants. Three of our five initial ideas made it here, and they completely turned the tables on our expectations.
Baked Potato: Classic
If I were Irish, I wouldn’t mind only eating this for the rest of my life. The buttery inside dissolves on the tongue, preparing the palate for the goodness to come. Cheese, bacon, mushrooms, onion, green onion—coming together to form the most blissful bite a potato could provide.. The tart sour cream drizzle on top enhanced the savory and umami flavors from the rest of the dish. Overall, this delectable root was simply ravishing, 10/10.
Maple Marshmallow Sweet Potato
The golden brown marshmallow shell is enough to make anyone’s mouth water. Beneath this crackly exterior of caramelized sugar and potato skin was a pillowy warm hug. I’m melting down just thinking about the buttery, fluffy goodness in the center, subtly sweet and so scrumptiously soft. The sprinkle of flaky salt and autumn spices on top was the perfect finish to this completely elevated take on a sweet potato casserole. Almost perfect 9/10 from us!
Twice-Baked Miso Japanese Sweet Potato
“Wow, I can’t wait to try this delicious miso baked sweet potato!” I exclaimed with joys. I was then shot 57 times. The second I put the first creamy bite in my mouth, something felt terribly wrong. The texture was akin to cottage cheese—which is the worst trait of said delicacy. And let me tell you, the taste wasn’t any better. The sour tang provided by the greek yogurt (recipe’s choice, not ours) proved to be just what this potato needed to transform into a blend of feta and goat cheese, in the worst way. The only thing this recipe had going for it was the untouched potato and skin (delicious) near the edges—perfectly caramelized and accented by crispy sesame seeds; unfortunately there was barely a bite to be had. This heart-wrenchingly disappointing recipe was a solid 2/10 from me.