Ingrid van den Arend

Side dish, serves 4. Preparation time: approx. 20 minutes (plus 45-60 minutes in the oven).

• 8 medium floury potatoes
• 1 cup of sour cream (125 ml)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, not too finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• freshly ground salt and pepper
• Variation tips: curry, parsley, spring onion, chives, smoked salmon, garlic, coarsely-grated extra mature cheese, basil.

Preheat oven to 220°C.
Scrub the potatoes under cold running water. Dry them thoroughly. Prick around twice with a fork. Place them in a large, low oven dish (optional: sprinkle dish with a bed of sea salt) and cook for about 30-45 minutes until done. Leave to cool before continuing with the filling.
Cut off the top and bottom of the potatoes. Remove the skin from these cut ends and put the potato flesh in a large bowl. Hollow out each potato at one end with a spoon or melon baller. Put this flesh also in the large bowl.
Break up the potato into a mash, not making it too fine. Ladle the sour cream, egg and mustard through the potato. Season with salt and coarsely-ground pepper. Add any filling to the mash and vary to taste. Tasty combinations are:

• Curry powder, parsley and spring onion
• Chives, wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and smoked salmon
• Garlic, fine orange-coloured mature cheese and basil
  Fill the hollowed potatoes with the mash mixture. Place the potatoes for 12 to 15 minutes in a hot oven. Serve immediately.

Tip: This dish can be prepared in advance. Fill and bake immediately before serving.