What happens when you stop loving broccoli? You bribe yourself into falling back in love with it. A very strange thing happened to me last year. I made my favorite meal of roasted broccoli, and I didn't enjoy it. That was bizarre, because broccoli has been one of my favorite vegetables since I was a kid. At the time I thought maybe I had undergone a taste bud shift. But when we received a big beautiful head of broccoli from our CSA, I knew I had to kick my taste buds back into proper working order.

So, I decided to treat myself like a child. I bribed my palate into loving the bright green vegetable by drenching it in a rich cheese sauce and serving it on a baked potato.

I'm happy to report that it worked. The crisp broccoli drenched in the salty cheddar sauce was delicious, and the only problem turned out to be that I didn't make enough of it.

“Bribery” Broccoli and Cheddar Sauce on a Baked Potato

4 medium red potatoes

1 cup of chopped broccoli florets

1 small red onion, diced

4 tablespoons of butter

5 tablespoons of flour

2 cups of milk

2 cups of very sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot's Seriously Sharp)

1 tablespoon of dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce

½ cup of shredded parmesan

Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Wash and scrub the potatoes and prick them several times with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes.

In a large saucepan bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Drop the florets in and cook until they turn bright green, about 2 minutes. Strain the broccoli and shock it in a bowl of ice water to keep it from continuing to cook. Drain and set aside.

Saute the onion with the butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, and stir for 1 minute.

Add the milk, dijon and worcester sauce. When the milk is steaming but not quite simmering, add the cheddar and parmesan by handfuls into the milk. Make sure to incorporate all the cheese before adding more.

Slice the baked potatoes lengthwise, and top with broccoli florets. Ladle the cheese sauce over the potato and prepare to feel like a happy child.

(Serves 4.)