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Hello, this is Chef John from foodwishes.com, and today we're making " stuffed" potato croutons. That's right. Over the years of my practice, I have created many bizarre, strange, and crazy culinary mixes. Some of them were incredible, and some of them were not so much. But these croutons with baked potato filling are probably the most delicious thing I've ever made. So, if you're ready to impress everyone at your next brunch, let's start with some russet potatoes. Pierce the skin with the tip of a knife in several places to allow steam to escape during baking. We will bake it in the oven at 200°C for about an hour or an hour and fifteen minutes, until it is completely cooked and soft. And we won't guess based on coffee
grounds. Let's take a knife and check: the blade should enter the potato without any effort. Then let it cool down so that you can handle it with your hands. And that's when we'll get to work. Next, we will cut them in half with a knife. Using a spoon, scrape the pulp into a bowl. By the way, it's better to do this while the potatoes are still warm, because the ingredients we'll add next will mix much better. And I have no idea why I'm trying to hold both halves at the same time. Okay, it's much easier to separate them and work with each half separately. In any case, one way or another, we'll scrape out both potatoes. Now take a fork and mash everything into fairly small pieces. But we're not
trying to make mashed potatoes. When we add the rest of the ingredients, the mixture will blend even better. So, we'll stop at about this point. Add salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper for spice. At this stage, we'll add the "holy trinity" for baked potatoes: cheddar cheese, fresh green onions, and crispy pieces of fried bacon. And yes, we really want to fry the bacon well. After all, the last thing you want in your potato croutons is limp bacon. That's all. Finally, add a large spoonful of sour cream.
Mix thoroughly so that all ingredients are evenly combined. Besides a quick taste for salt and spices, our baked potato filling is ready. And of course, if you add something else to your baked potato, or perhaps want to use a different cheese, feel free to adjust the recipe to your liking. I mean, after all, you are the master toppings for your French toast. But no matter what you use, once everything is mixed, let's put that aside and move on to the next component-the egg mixture for our bread. So, let's take a couple of eggs, a little salt, and crack them right into the yolk. Then beat with a fork until the whites completely disappear. After that, we'll stop and add the last ingredient-a little milk. And let's mix it all up. And if you're
wondering why we didn't mix the milk with the eggs right away-it's because the different viscosity will cause the milk to splash out of the bowl while you're beating the eggs. It will get on the countertop and you will have to wash it. So, to avoid this hassle, add the milk after beating the eggs. When everything is prepared, take the bread, dip it in the egg mixture and turn it over at least two or three times. We want the bread to soak well, and with regular white bread like this, it happens pretty quickly. I know that French toast usually uses stale bread, or " lost bread," as our French friends say. But fresh bread is also suitable for this recipe. If your bread is stale, you may need to soak it and let it sit for a while before filling and
frying. In any case, once the bread is soaked in egg, take a large spoonful of the filling and spread it evenly across the slice. We will try to flatten and press the filling all the way to the edges. Oh, and a little note about quantities: the filling we made is enough for six of these toasts. Although I only prepare two for the video. But in a written recipe, we will indicate the proportions for a full serving. Once the filling is distributed, you've probably already guessed the next step.
Cover with another slice and press down slightly on top. Once we have filled the bread, we have a few options. You can cook them right away if you want and everything will be fine. Or we can put them in the fridge for 15 minutes so the bread can absorb the egg better, which is what I will actually do. While they are cooling, we will prepare the sauce that we will pour over the dish: maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and a big spoonful of cayenne pepper. We'll bring this to a boil over medium heat. And let it boil for about 30 seconds. Mix carefully, then turn off the heat and let cool. This will create an incredible sweet and sour spicy syrup that we will use to drizzle over our French toast. That's all. To toast our French toast, melt a lot of
butter in a skillet over medium heat. Let's spread out our double stuffed French toast. Fry the first side for 3-4 minutes until light golden brown, then flip and turn off the heat. Since we'll be baking them in the oven at 190 degrees for about 15 minutes-if we did it on the stove, the filling wouldn't have time to warm up, and everything on the outside would burn. So baking is the best option. We'll get them in 15 minutes. Flip it over to make sure the other side is nicely browned too. Oh, you know that rule. Every time we take a hot frying pan out of the oven, we cover the handle with a towel so everyone can see and no one gets burned. Then we'll
turn the heat back to medium because I want to brown the first side a little more. This is optional, but I like my French toast to be well-browned and crispy on the edges. That's all. When they are toasted to the desired temperature and look great, they are ready to serve. Drizzle our sweet and sour spicy maple syrup on top. I emphasized the combination of sweet and salty. But if you want a purely savory version, you can add more sour cream or crème fraîche. Finally, garnish with fresh chopped green onions, like on a baked potato. Friends, in my opinion, the look of this dish is simply unbeatable. Although, you know what? I'll take that back, because when I cut it open and show you the filling, it will look much more appetizing.
Seriously. Just take a look. And yes, it tasted as good as it looked. And when I took the first bite, I was amazed at how well these flavors came together. Which is actually quite logical, if you think about it. Despite our tangy-sweet maple syrup, it reminded me of varenyky-Polish dumplings filled with cheese and potatoes, often served with bacon, onions, and sometimes a sweet fruit sauce. So if you like them, it's worth a try. To summarize: when I came up with this idea, I hoped it would work and be very tasty, but the result exceeded all my wildest expectations. So I officially declare this mix a complete success. Oh, and since Michelle wasn't around and I had a second serving left, I tried an alternative serving: I cut it into quarters and
served it like this. You know, the same way they cut sandwiches at country clubs, which might look more fancy for your next holiday brunch. But however you serve it, it was one of the most delicious dishes I've tasted in a long time, and I really hope you try it soon. Please follow the links below to find ingredient amounts, a printable recipe, and lots of other information, as always. And, as always, delicious.
