Baked Potato Stuffed with Ham and Melted Gruyère

Inspired by the decadent croque-monsieur sandwich, this meal-worthy baked potato is stuffed with ham and a thick topping of Gruyère cheese that’s melted to perfection after a minute under the broiler.

Before you can stuff your potato with this glorious filling, you’ve got to cook it. There are options aplenty, so choose what works best for you.

• How To Bake a Potato in the Microwave: If you’re in a hurry, take to the microwave. This gets the job done in about 10 minutes.
• How To Bake a Potato in the Oven: The classic method produces ultra-crispy skin and a fluffy texture. You need close to an hour for this preparation, but the texture of the potato is superior. Bake a big batch on the weekend to have on hand throughout the week.
• How To Bake a Potato in the Slow Cooker: Want to make sure you can have baked potatoes for dinner and don’t want to wait the hour for them to cook when you get home? Choose the slow cooker. You’ll need eight to 10 hours on low, so this is actually something that works with our workday — including the commute!

Cut the cooked potato lengthwise and gently pull it open without splitting in half, then use a fork to fluff the inside of the potato.

Chop up a few slices of thick-cut deli ham and stuff it into the potato, then top with about 2 tablespoons of shredded Gruyére. Cook the potato under the broiler to melt the cheese, 1 to 2 minutes.

All it takes is an inspired topping to turn a plain potato into a tiny miracle on a busy weeknight. This series will open your eyes to all the ways the humble potato can be loaded up with the help of no more than four common pantry ingredients.