Asiago Pesto Potatoes

Makes 16 potatoes

• 8 medium red potatoes, washed and cut in half
• 16 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons basil pesto
• 8 ounces asiago cheese, shredded
• 1 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon salt

Directions

Place the potato halves in a large pot filled with cold water and the salt. Bring the pot to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and cool to room temperature.

While the potatoes are cooling, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cloves of garlic and cook at a very gentle simmer until the cloves are soft and tender. Use a fork to test for softness. Remove the garlic from the oil and mash. Reserve the oil for another use. It will now be garlic flavored.

Shred the asiago cheese. Mix the mayonnaise, pesto and mashed garlic together in a bowl until well combined. Add the shredded cheese and mix until the mayonnaise mixture is well distributed throughout the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. With a spoon, scoop some of the potato out of the center of each potato half. Place the potatoes in a baking dish. Fill each potato with the cheese mixture, distributing the mixture evenly among the potatoes. Bake the potatoes for approximately 20 minutes, or until the cheese mixture is melted and browned.