Leek, Brie & Cranberry Stuffed Potato Skins

These loaded potato skins are a great way to use up leftover Christmas cheese, but are equally delicious at any time of year! If you don’t have brie you could use blue cheese, camembert or any other soft cheese. These are great to batch as they freeze really well and can be cooked from frozen when needed. 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Serves: 4 (but simply double the recipe if you want to pop more in the freezer!)

4 large baking potatoes (appprox. 57p)

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil 

1 large leek, finely diced (approx. 60p)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped (approx. 5p)

3 heaped tbsp sour cream (approx. 25p)

2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard (approx. 10p)

4 teaspoons cranberry sauce (approx. 10p)

160g brie, cut into small chunks (around £1.30)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Prick your potatoes with a fork and place them in the microwave for 12-18 minutes until they're soft. Bigger potatoes take longer.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, time to get the filling ready. Add the oil to a frying pan, followed by the diced leeks. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the diced garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the leeks are soft. Once cooked, pour into a mixing bowl. 

4. Once the potatoes are soft enough to scoop, carefully cut them open and cover your hand with a tea towel as the steam can be very hot. Using a spoon, scoop out the middle of the potatoes and add to a mixing bowl making sure to leave a 2cm gap round the edge to stop you from breaking through the skin. Place the skins on a baking tray, drizzle with a little oil and place them into the oven for 8 minutes to crisp up. 

5. Add the potato to the bowl with the leeks and add the sour cream, mustard, a good grind of salt and pepper, the chopped brie chunks (reserving ⅓ to put on top) and the cranberry sauce.

6. Once the potato skins have crisped, remove from the oven and spoon the potato mix back into the skins. Sprinkle the leftover brie chunks over the top of each potato. 

7. If cooking now, place back in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden. If making for the freezer, leave to cool and follow the ready-to-freeze steps.

Freeze it: Once cooled, carefully add the stuffed potato skins to a freezer bag and freeze flat. 

Eat it: Place the frozen potato skins onto a baking tray and into a preheated oven at 180°C for 35-45 minutes until deliciously melted and golden. Cover halfway if they're burning.