Potatoes offer the basis for quick, easy, nutritious meals. And there is no better time to cook with them than September, which is National Potato Month.

Nutritionally, potatoes have a lot to offer. They are a source of vitamins B and C, are high in complex carbohydrates, are fat-free (sans butter) and are high in fiber if you eat the skins.

They are delicious baked, diced, fried and mashed. They are good alone, and they are yummy mixed with other ingredients, like the cheese in these stuffed twice baked potatoes from Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Cheese Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes 

8 medium baking potatoes
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons chopped onion
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded 

Preheat oven to 400º. Put the potatoes in the oven, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until they are tender.

Slice each potato in half lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop out the inside of each potato into a bowl. Leave about ¼ inch of potato next to the skin, and set the skins aside.

To the potato insides, add cottage cheese, milk and onion. Use a potato masher or a fork to thoroughly mix the ingredients until they are light and fluffy. Spoon an equal amount of the potato mixture into each potato skin. Sprinkle cheese and paprika over the potatoes.

Return the stuffed skins to the oven for 5 minutes to reheat.
 
Potato Types for every potato lover

• Red or white potatoes are round and have a thin outer skin. They are good for boiling and stewing. 
• New potatoes are freshly harvested. They are sweet and moist and good for boiling and stewing.
• Russets are oblong with thick outer skins. They are good for baking and make excellent mashed potatoes.