One Canned Ingredient Could Change The Way You Make Loaded Baked Potatoes

A baked potato is nature's perfect vehicle for toppings. While a twice-baked potato is a filling side dish, a loaded baked potato is a fitting entree all by itself. Customarily, a loaded baked potato is topped with butter, sour cream, plenty of fresh shredded or grated cheese, and some crisp bacon. Allow us to clue you in on a secret, however: There's a long-neglected canned item in the back of your pantry that could revitalize your loaded baked potato game. Humble, canned corned beef. Don't turn up your nose ... when treated correctly, it makes a meaty, salty addition to your spud that will have you craving loaded potatoes multiple times a week.

If you ask your average home cook, canned corned beef is probably high on their list of canned foods that they think should be discontinued. Fresh from the can, this shelf-stable version of a St. Patrick's Day classic is an unappealing, pink, homogenous blob. But hear us out. If you crisp up that beef in a skillet to give it some texture, it's going to make the perfect topper for your baked potato. Buried under an additional layer of fresh add-ons, you'll find the canned corn beef to have a unique umami flair that adds a lot to your tater.

To make a whole dinner from a humble baked potato, you need to go the distance in terms of preparation and building flavors. Put the potato in the oven with plenty of time to spare and at a nice, high temperature to get the jacket crispy — about one hour at 425 degrees is the minimum for a large potato. After washing your potato, cover it with a nice dusting of salt.

Once your potato is cooked, the skin will be crisp and flavorful, while the inside will be tender, flaky, and ready to stuff. Start with a generous application of a good-quality butter and the creamy agent of your choice: sour cream, cream cheese, or Greek yogurt. Season liberally with salt and pepper, and then add a layer of your fried corned beef. Top that with freshly-shredded cheddar, gruyere, or Swiss. You can even use a mixture of cheeses to play with flavors. As a final coup de grâce, sprinkle on some chives or green onion slices. You'll find that the canned corned beef is more substantial than mere bacon bits, providing a protein punch that eats like a meal.