Recipe: Mushroom and truffle stuffed potatoes

Mini baked potatoes stuffed with mushrooms and bacon, made by Masterchef Duo winners and Herald on Sunday Savour columnists, Kasey Bird and Karena Bird. Photo / Michael Craig

Serves 8

• 8 small Perla potatoes
• 1 cup rock salt
• ½ onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup assorted mushrooms
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• ½ cup dried shitake mushrooms
• 1 tbsp truffle oil
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• ¼ cup creme fraiche
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 150C. Wrap potatoes in tin foil, pour rock salt on to oven tray and place wrapped potatoes on top of the salt. Place in oven for 45 minutes.

2. In a large fry pan, melt butter and add oil. Saute onion seasoned with rock salt over a medium heat, cooking for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3. Add mushrooms and thyme and increase heat, cook until the moisture from the mushrooms has cooked off.

4. In a dry fry pan on a medium heat, fry the dried shitake mushrooms for about 3 minutes then place in a spice grinder and blitz until mixture becomes a powder. Season generously with salt.

5. Remove potatoes from oven and, while still warm, cut off the top, scoop out the flesh from inside and place into a bowl. Using a fork, mash the potatos, season and add mushroom mix and the truffle oil. Return the potato filling back into the potatoes and sprinkle parmesan over the stuffed potatoes.

6. Preheat the oven to 200C on grill setting and grill until the parmesan has melted.

7. Mix together creme fraiche and chives. Place a dollop of the creme fraiche on each potato and sprinkle over mushroom dust (add a small drop of truffle oil on each potato if you like as well).