Spanakopita Baked Potatoes

Greek food has taken over my life. I’m consumed with thoughts of gyros, moussaka, and falafels. Give me feta or give me death! That’s what I always say.

The thing about Greek food is, well, it’s just plain delicious. My favorite is moussaka, and a Greek restaurant (one of many) here in Oklahoma City, Zorba’s, makes the best moussaka.

I also love getting spanakopita or fried feta as an appetizer. There’s something wonderful about spinach and feta together in a crispy phyllo shell.

Riffing off the spanakopita thoughts, I decided to transform it into a side dish. I needed to use up a hoard of potatoes in my cabinet so I thought, hey, let’s stuff this into a potato! You may have seen this recipe I posted back in May. Sure, those were spinach stuffed potatoes, too, but those were like spinach artichoke dip.

These potatoes, though, are much different (and much better, in my opinion). Remember how I said we are constantly adapting in the kitchen? Well, that’s exactly what’s going on here. I had an idea, made it better, and transformed it into this decadent side dish.

These potatoes will impress any guest you may have over the holidays and the secret you can withhold from them: they’re so easy to make. I decided to cook the potatoes first in the microwave, to make it easier, and then bake them in the oven after stuffing them.

The easier, the better. The more cheese, the better. Two rules to live by with this recipe.

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a large bowl, toss whole potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil. Poke all over with a fork. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir potatoes around and microwave again for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Let potatoes cool for 5 minutes. When potatoes are cooled, but still warm, cut in half and scoop out insides into another bowl, leaving about 1/4″ thick shell. Place potato shells on a baking sheet or in a baking dish.

Add spinach to potato bowl (scooped out insides). Stir in salt, pepper, dill and garlic powder.

Add milk, remaining tablespoon of oil, and feta, continuing to stir and slightly smash potatoes.

Spoon spinach mixture into potato shells. Top with dill, lemon zest, and more feta. Broil in oven until browned on top, about 3-4 minutes.