Beef Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Why not try a nice Sunday treat? Actually, you can try it anytime; whenever you do, everyone will love it!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 scallion, finely chopped, plus extra shredded scallions to garnish
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 12 oz ground beef
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 cup beef stock *
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F, prick the potatoes all over with a fork to let steam escape during baking. Put them directly on an oven shelf and bake in preheated oven 1 1/2 hours, until soft.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan. Add the scallions and the garlic and cook on low heat – stirring occasionally – for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the ground beef, increase the heat to medium and cook – stirring frequently – and breaking it up with a wooden for 8 to 10 minutes until evenly browned.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, soy sauce and 1/2 cup of of the beef stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 25 to 30 minutes, adding more stock if the mixture starts drying out.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and put them on 4 individual plates. Cut into 4 and squeeze gently, then ladle the ground beef mixture over them. Garnish with shredded scallions and serve immediately.

* Beef Stock

Yield: 8 cups

Ingredients

• 6 lb beef soup bones
• 1 large onion
• 3 large carrots
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 stalks celery, including some leaves
• 1 large tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped parsnip
• 1 medium potato
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• 12 cups water

Directions (from allrecipes.com)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Trim root end off onion. Slice or quarter the onion, peel and all. Scrub carrots and chop into 1″ chunks. In a large shallow roasting pan, place soup bones, onion, and carrots. Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until the bones are well browned, turning occasionally.
3. Drain off fat. Place the browned bones, onion, and carrots in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and rinse. Pour this liquid into soup pot.
4. Scrub the potato and chop it into chunks, peel and all. Chop the celery stalks into thirds. Add celery, tomato, parsnip, potato, peppercorns, parsley (including stems), bay leaf, salt, thyme, and garlic to the pot. Pour in the 12 cups of water.
5. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 hours. Strain stock. Discard meat, vegetables, and seasonings.
6. To clarify stock for clear soup: In order to remove solid flecks that are too small to be strained out with cheesecloth, combine 1/4 cup cold water, 1 egg white, and 1 crushed eggshell. Add to strained stock. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Strain again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.