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If there's one culinary benefit to winter, it's the freedom to crank the oven up and bake your veggies until browned and lovely. You're assured a plate with deep flavor with a minimum of effort. Make one of those veggies fluffy, earthy russet potatoes, and you've got a serious plate of comfort on your hands.
It goes like this: pop open a couple cans of chickpeas, tear up some broccoli, and toss that in a big pile of Dijon-style mustard (it'll seem like too much, but don't worry—it mellows out in the oven (thanks, Mollie Katzen)). The potatoes and the filling cook right alongside each other.
While all that takes care of itself in the oven, blend up a quick sauce that makes an ideal accompaniment for baked potatoes. It's cool and creamy thanks to a base of soy milk and tofu, and it's flavored with scallions, fresh dill, and capers. The dijon-roasted beans and veg also love this sauce. The three elements come together to make a totally satisfying meal.
Dijon Chickpea and Broccoli-Stuffed Baked Potatoes with Creamy Dill-Caper Dressing
serves 4
For the potatoes, adaped from Food Network's Alton Brown:
4 medium-large russet potatoes, scrubbed
olive oil
fine sea or kosher salt
For the filling:
2 15-oz can chickpeas
3/4 lb broccoli crowns
1/3 cup Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
fine sea or kosher salt
For the dressing:
5 oz soft or firm tofu (one-third of a water-packed slab)
4 scallions, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP packed fresh dill fronds
1 tsp drained capers
1/4 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Heat oven to 350.
Poke three sets of holes on each side of each potato with a fork. Rub potatoes lightly with olive oil (your hands work great) and set directly on a rack placed in the middle of the oven (leave half the rack open for the chickpea dish). (Place a piece of aluminum foil on the rack below to catch drippings.) Sprinkle potatoes with salt. Bake one hour. Check for tenderness, and, if needed, bake an additional 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse chickpeas. Set aside in a sieve to let drain thoroughly. Break broccoli into small florets. Toss both with mustard, oil, and a generous pinch of salt. Add to oven and bake along with the potatoes, tossing once when the potatoes have been cooking for 30 minutes. The chickpeas and broccoli should be done when you test the potatoes at the one-hour mark.
Once the chickpeas and broccoli are in the oven, puree all sauce ingredients—using only the white and firm green parts of the spring onions—with an immersion blender in a wide-mouth mason jar. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside to give the flavors time to mingle. Chop the scallion tops and set aside.
When the potatoes are done, carefully split them (press the ends to open them up for stuffing) and divide the filling among the potatoes. Serve at once. Allow each diner to add dressing to taste. Garnish with chopped scallion tops, as desired.