Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1. 4 Large Russet Potatoes, washed, scrubbed and dried
2. ½ cup of Sour Cream
3. 3 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter
4. About 1/2 cup of Whole Milk
5. Salt and Pepper to taste
6. 1 ½ cups of Shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar
7. ¼ cup of Sliced Green Onions

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees; bake the potatoes for 1 hour or until tender and cooked through.
• Allow the potatoes to cool slightly, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh, place in a bowl.
• In a small pot, warm together the milk and butter until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. 
• Pour mixture over the potatoes along with the sour cream, salt and pepper. Mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy, fold in the green onions & half a cup of the cheese.
• Scoop the potato mixture inside each half of potatoes. Top with the remaining cheese and bake them for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted. 
• Enjoy immediately! 

Crispy Thattais

Ingredients 

1. Rice flour - 1 cup 
2. Fried gram flour/Dalia flour (pottukadalai mavu) -2 1/2 tbsp or urad dal flour (roasted, powdered and sieved)- 1 tsp (see notes below)
3. Bengal gram dal/ kadalai paruppu - 1 1/2 tsp or fried gram -1 1/2 tsp
4. Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp flat
5. Unsalted butter -1 1/2 tsp
6. Hing - 1/4 tsp
7. Salt as needed
8. Oil for deep frying

Method

1. In a bowl, mix together rice flour, fried gram flour, chilli powder and butter using your finger tips.
2. Add dalia or soaked bengal gram dal, salt + hing mix, needed water and make a slightly stiff dough.
3. Now the dough for the thattai is ready. (you can taste the dough to check for salt)
4. Make equal sized balls out of it.
5. Grease a zip lock bag or plastic sheet, place a ball of dough and flatten it as thinly as possible with your finger tips. This will give you crispy thattais.
6. Prick few holes with a fork to prevent it from puffing while frying. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
7. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai.  Check the oil temperature by dropping a small piece of dough into the oil, if it rises to the surface immediately, then the oil is ready for frying. 
8. Now reduce the temperature to medium, gently transfer the flattened dough on to your hands and slide it into the oil. Deep fry 3-4 thattais both sides until golden brown.
9. Remove and drain the excess oil on a paper towel.
10. Repeat the same process for the rest of the dough.
11. After it cools, store it in an air tight container.