Cajun Stuffed Potatoes

Cajun Stuffed Potatoes

These Cajun potatoes are my version of twice baked potatoes that are spiced up with Cajun seasoning and topped with cheesy goodness. I created this recipe when I was 19 and worked at a little Cajun restaurant in Shreveport, Louisiana called Gumbos. I loved their stuffed potatoes so much that I tried to duplicate the recipe on my own and these delicious potatoes were the result! The restaurant no longer exists but my Cajun stuffed potatoes recipe always reminds me of fun times and great food.

When I made this for my friends for a recent camping trip, they raved about them for days! The stuffing inside these potatoes is smooth and creamy with a little bit of Cajun spice love thrown in for good measure. I hope you enjoy them! 

 

 

This recipe is easy although it does contain several steps so it may take a bit of time, but the resulting yumminess is sooo worth it!

I love to get comments and feedback on my recipes, so please leave your thoughts or let us know if you try it and love it. Cheers!

 

Ingredients

8-9 medium Russet potatoes
3 tbsp butter
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's)
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/4 cup half and half or cream
3/4 cup milk
3 green onions sliced (both white and green parts)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup or more of shredded cheese for topping the potatoes
Spreadable butter for topping the potatoes

 

 



Preparation

Wash the potatoes thoroughly and dry with a paper towel. Bake the potatoes on a cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the potatoes goes easily through the middle.

The potatoes can be cooked in the microwave, but I have found that cooking them in the oven provides sturdier and drier skins on the potatoes. The drier outside skin will make it easier to slice the potatoes in half and the shells will be less likely to tear, rip or fall apart when scooping out the insides.

When the potatoes are cooked and soft inside, let them cool before handling them. Slice the potatoes lengthwise in half and scoop the insides out into a large bowl. 

Food Tutor Tip* - I like to leave about 1/4 inch of the potato still attached to the skin when I scoop out the insides. There's nothing worse than having to work with a limp potato skin when spooning the stuffing into the shells. Been there, done that! Lol

Reserve the skins and place on a baking sheet or in a 9x13 baking dish. To the potatoes in the bowl, add the butter and stir until the butter is melted. If the potatoes have cooled too much you may have to nuke them a minute until the butter melts.

Add in the garlic powder, oregano, sage, and Cajun seasoning. Stir a bit to combine. Add the half and half to the potato mixture and mix on medium speed for a minute or so with an electric mixture to distribute all the deliciousness evenly throughout the potatoes.

Add the milk into the potato mixture and mix again on medium speed until the potatoes are smooth and creamy with no potato lumps hanging around in there.

You may need to add more milk if they look too dry, but don't thin them out too much. I like my stuffing to be the consistency of creamy mashed potatoes.

We're almost done! Lastly, fold in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and the sliced green onions. Stir to mix the cheese and onions evenly into the potatoes. 

 

Using a large spoon, scoop potato mixture into each potato skin. Heap the stuffing in there........don't be shy! When each skin is filled with stuffing mixture, spread a dab of butter evenly on top of each potato and then sprinkle lightly with some additional Cajun seasoning. Sprinkle as much shredded cheese as you like over the top of each potato.

Now we are ready to pop them into the oven, uncovered, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. You just want to heat them through and melt the cheese on top.

Last step, serve them to your family and friends and get ready for the all the compliments on your fabulous stuffed potatoes!

This recipe is enough for six people (one whole potato per person is a good guideline) and we had a few leftover. I used a few more potatoes than usual because a couple of the potatoes I had were too small for stuffing so I baked them up just to use the insides for the stuffing mixture.

 

You can adjust the recipe to your liking if you are serving fewer people. Also, keep in mind that you add more milk if you find that the consistency of your stuffing is too thick or if you want to thin the potato stuffing a bit.