Baked Potato with Broad Beans

Vincent van Gogh - The Potato Eaters

Vincent Willem van Gogh (1853 – 1890) was a Dutch 
​post-impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. He was not commercially successful, and his suicide at 37 came after years of mental illness and poverty,

Suggested by Vincent van Gogh's "The Potato Eaters", this wonderfully delicious creation of flavours and textures will suit the artist in anyone!
Serves 4
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INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large potatoes
• Coarse sea salt
• 300g (10 ½ oz) broad (fava) beans fresh or frozen
• 80ml (1/3 cup) cream
• 120g (4 oz) blue cheese, crumbled
• 4 handfuls rocket (arugula) washed well
• Black pepper to season 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 220C/420F.
2. Wash the potatoes and, while they are still damp, rub them with a little of the salt. Prick them several times, the put them in the oven, sitting directly on the oven shelf. This will help them get a good all-round heat. Bake for one hour, then squeeze them gently – they should be soft. If they are still hard, give them another 15 minutes or so.
3. If you are using fresh beans, put them in a pan, cover with boiling water, return to the boil and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain, empty into cold water, then peel off the outer grey skins.
4. When the potatoes are cooked, cut a cross in one side of each and squeeze the potatoes around middle until they open up.
5. Put the cream in a small saucepan, add the broad beans, cook them gently for a minute or two, then add the blue cheese and rocket. Stir everything together and when the rocket has wilted, spoon the mixture into the potatoes.  Season with black pepper.