Olive Cheese…Potatoes?

The very first Pioneer Woman recipe that I made was her incredible Olive Cheese Bread. Although I make a couple adjustments when we have it now, I knew from the moment I tasted that heavenly bread that I had found a gold mine of tasty recipes. I was right. There is a lot of PW fare in our meal rotation now.

 

Photo courtesy of Ree Drummond.

Mmmmmm. Does it get any better than this?

So I was trying to decide what to make for dinner Sunday night and had a hankering for this bread. The only problem was, we didn’t have any bread. Sad face.

BUT. But…we did have a ton of potatoes. So I decided to give the recipe a shot on top of potatoes instead of bread. Of course, halfway through preparing it I realized I didn’t have any black olives either. That never happens in my house. Shocking. So I had to send Paul to the store. And since the potatoes were all baked and ready to go, I went ahead with Olive Cheese Potatoes anyway, even though he could have gotten a loaf of bread, too.

They actually came out pretty tasty. Very satisfying, and definitely more filling. I just put the cheese topping on…top…like the original recipe calls for. But I think next time – oh yes, there will be a next time – I might try it more like twice baked potatoes and mix the goodness together.

Here is the original recipe, with my own adjustments:

Olive Cheese Bread

* 1 loaf French Bread 
* 6 ounces, weight Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives (maybe 3-4 oz, otherwise it’s too salty for me)
* 6 ounces, weight Black Olives
* 2 stalks Green Onions (scallions)
* 1 stick Butter, Room Temperature (1/2 stick butter)
* ½ cups Mayonnaise (1/4 cup mayonnaise)
* ¾ pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated

Roughly chop both black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces.
Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. (I used 8 baked potatoes, sliced lengthwise. I also sprinkled some bacon bits on top. I don’t think they made much of a difference though.) Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning.
Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to two days) and used as a dip. Great with crackers.

Try this recipe! Either way you prepare it, you won’t be sorry. Unless you hate olives. In which case, I recommend you try something…else.

Check out the other Tasty Tuesday recipes!