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• Desperation Dinners Recipe: Quick Potato And Leek Soup

Stuff yourself -- and your already-baked potatoes

Baked potatoes as a pantry staple? Why not? They're inexpensive, it doesn't take any longer to bake a dozen, and they'll refrigerate for up to a week.

With a stash of already baked potatoes on hand (check our website at www.kitchenscoop.com for our best high-heat technique), you can get today's Overstuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes to the table in less than 25 minutes. This steakhouse favorite is considered a side dish in a restaurant, but our recipe makes a filling entree.

These potatoes are fairly flexible and can be stuffed with any type of topping -- chopped broccoli, ham and various cheeses are always welcome. Our recipe is reminiscent of twice-baked potatoes from Alicia's childhood, but that version was banned some years ago owing to its high fat content. Today's slightly slimmed-down version makes a worthy light dinner -- and we're not kidding about the name ``overstuffed''!

Desperation Dinners Recipe: Quick Potato And Leek Soup

SOUP

QUICK POTATO AND LEEK SOUP

Refrigerate the potatoes and broth a day or more before making the soup to reduce chill time. If potatoes and broth are not cold, chill 20 minutes in the freezer before serving, stirring once after 10 minutes.

A can-do approach to lentils

In my kitchen, dry lentils get about the same treatment as dry beans. That is, on the rare occasion that I buy them, they land at the back of the pantry where they are promptly forgotten for months or years.

Unless you are really good at planning ahead, the weeknight kitchen is no place for dry beans and lentils. Most bean varieties take hours of soaking before you can even begin cooking. Lentils can soften in about an hour, but during the week even that's too long.

Canned beans and lentils are a much better choice, offering good quality and convenience. Some companies now even sell canned heirloom varieties. The only downside is canned legumes often contain plenty of sodium, but this is easily washed away by rinsing.

Recipe: Overstuffed Twice-Baked Potatoes

MAIN DISH

OVERSTUFFED TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

This recipe does indeed call for five potatoes, but only some of the shells are used. The extra potato flesh helps create the ``overstuffed'' stuffing. Also, please visit our website for the secret to our favorite Amazing Baked Potatoes. Start to finish: less than 25 minutes.

Chefs in the news: Van Aken, LoSasso, Jacobs, Rothschild, Sinclair

Norman Van Aken 's much-anticipated return to the South Florida dining scene with Norman's 180 at the Westin Colonnade Hotel, 180 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.

Fans of Dewey LoSasso , incoming executive chef at The Forge , can following his musings at Dewey Dish and Ramble, ``a stream of thought blog on eating, music and travel;'' deweystream.blogspot.com.

Veteran chefs Michael Jacobs (Grass, Tantra) and Andrew Rothschild (Bourbon Steak, The Forge) are partners in Strategic Hospitality Group Corp., a consulting firm.