Cheesy Twice Baked Potatoes with Yogurt Spice Paste

I eat a lot of potatoes. They are sort of my go-to comfort food to the point that I am always looking for new delicious recipes. Naturally, when I came across these gems in this month's Bon Appetit, I just had to try them. They have a feature this month on exotic barbecue that explores a bunch of new-to-me flavors. Let me say these potatoes were worth every random extra ingredient that I had to pick up at the store! These little guys are a flavor party in your mouth! In the magazine, it says to barbecue the potatoes, but I chose to twice bake them to save myself some time.

Ingredients (serves 6)

Potatoes and Stuffing
3 large unpeeled russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded, minced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Coarse kosher salt

Yogurt Spice Paste
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons sweet or hot paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce potatoes with a fork and cook in oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and slice in half.

Using a spoon, scoop out the insides of the potatoes into a bowl leaving just the shell. Mash and mix in cheese, melted butter, cilantro, green onion, chile, and sesame seeds. Season potato mixture generously with salt and pepper; divide among potato shells.

For the yogurt spice paste, combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender. Using on/off turns, blend until mixture is finely chopped. Add yogurt, oil, and lemon juice and process until smooth puree forms. Transfer to small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To flavor the potato skin, dip the bottoms of the potatoes in the yogurt paste and dredge in sesame seeds. Transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet and pour equal portions of the remaining yogurt sauce on top of each potato. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds. Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Serve warm. These make great leftovers if you can't finish them all.

* If you have leftover yogurt sauce, it makes a wonderful lowfat dip for fresh veggies!