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Rich Beef Loaded Potato

Recipe by The Cozy Bowl Kitchen

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  • Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield2 loaded potatoes, with beef left over 1x

A deep, glossy beef mixture with tomato, Worcestershire sauce and dark soy, reduced until thick and sticky, piled onto a crisp-skinned baked potato with melting cheddar and crispy onions.

Ingredients

Scale

For the potatoes

  • 2 large floury baking potatoes, Maris Piper or King Edward, about 300 to 350 g each
  • 1 tsp vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 tsp flaky sea salt
  • 30 g salted butter
  • Fine sea salt and black pepper

For the rich beef

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 500 g beef mince, 15 to 20 per cent fat
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 200 g chopped tomatoes (half a 400 g tin)
  • 200 ml beef stock
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • Fine sea salt and black pepper, to taste

To load

  • 100 g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp crispy fried onions
  • Soured cream or chilli oil, to serve (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Scrub the potatoes and dry them completely. Prick each 6 to 8 times with a fork, rub with oil and sprinkle generously with flaky salt.
  2. Bake directly on the middle oven shelf, with a tray below to catch drips, for 75 to 90 minutes, until a skewer slides through with no resistance and the skin is crisp. Never use foil.
  3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large wide frying pan or sauté pan over a high heat. Add half the mince, spread it out, and leave undisturbed for 3 minutes until deeply browned underneath. Break it up, brown the other side, then remove to a bowl. Repeat with the second half.
  4. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until genuinely soft and colouring at the edges.
  5. Add the grated carrot and cook for 2 minutes, then the garlic for 1 minute.
  6. Push everything to one side and add the tomato purée to the bare patch of pan. Fry it in the fat for a full minute, stirring, until it darkens from bright red to a deeper brick colour.
  7. Return the browned mince with any juices. Add the chopped tomatoes, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, dark soy sauce, mixed herbs and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.
  8. Simmer uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until very thick. A spoon dragged across the base should leave a channel that fills back in slowly rather than instantly.
  9. Take off the heat, remove the bay leaf, stir in the balsamic vinegar, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Leave to sit for 2 minutes.
  10. Cut the baked potatoes open immediately they come out of the oven, squeeze the sides to open them, add half the butter to each, season, and fork it through until fluffy.
  11. Scatter two thirds of the cheddar over the hot flesh so it melts, then spoon the rich beef generously over the top.
  12. Finish with the remaining cheese, spring onions and crispy fried onions. Add soured cream or chilli oil if you like, and serve immediately.

Notes

Make ahead: The beef is genuinely better on day two. Make it up to 2 days ahead, refrigerate, and reheat in a pan with a splash of stock or water to loosen. It also freezes very well in portions, so a double batch is worth doing.

The mistake to avoid: Adding all the mince to the pan at once. It drops the temperature, the meat steams in its own liquid and goes grey, and the finished mixture tastes noticeably thinner. Brown it in two batches in a properly hot, wide pan.

Season last: This mixture reduces by more than half, and the stock, Worcestershire sauce and soy all contain salt. Do not season until it is thick, or you will overshoot.

Variations: For a chilli-loaded spud, add 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp ground cumin and a pinch of chilli flakes with the purée, and stir in a drained tin of kidney beans for the last 10 minutes. Brown 150 g chopped chestnut mushrooms with the beef, or replace 100 ml of the stock with red wine. Stir 50 g grated cheddar into the beef off the heat for a richer mixture.

Equipment: A large wide frying pan or sauté pan, a box grater, a vegetable brush, a fork and a thin skewer for testing the potatoes.

Allergen note: Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.

Take particular care with the Worcestershire sauce (fish, barley, sulphites), soy sauce (soya, wheat), beef stock (celery, wheat), cheddar and butter (milk) and crispy fried onions (often wheat flour). Allergen information must be confirmed by The Cozy Bowl before it is relied upon.

This is a home recipe inspired by a dish or flavour available at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.

Find it online: https://thecozybowl.co.uk/rich-beef-loaded-potato/