potato skins!

potato skins. didn’t think i was a fan, but, i got a special request and took on the challenge. OMG! these were delicious! a bit time consuming (small baking potatoes take 45 minutes in oven), but, you can break it down into steps if you must. watch the salt, the coarse salt on the outside of the skin is pretty and tasty - no need to add more. on a lazy day, these really hit the spot! do it! here’s how:

you’ll need:
6 small baking potatoes (like 4” long)
olive oil
veg oil
coarse salt
coarse ground pepper
4-6 strips of bacon
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream
2 green onions or chives, finely chopped

you’ll do:
scrub the potatoes clean. pierce each potato with a fork about 4 times. rub with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt and place on a rack over a sheet pan. bake in a 400°F oven for about 45 minutes. the potatoes should be cooked through and give a little when pressed.

while the potatoes are baking, dice bacon and crisp in a frying pan on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, or until crispy delicious. drain on a paper towel lined plate.

remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. cut in half horizontally. use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides (i used a metal measuring teaspoon, the edges are sharper than a regular flatware spoon). leave about ¼ of an inch of potato all around edges and on the bottom of potato. keep potato scoopings and use to thicken soup or make a side dish. any salt that falls off skin, just toss inside scooped out potato.

increase the oven heat to 450°F.

brush inside of potato with veg oil - paying special attention to hit the edges of the potato. this will help 'em brown, you want that. place potatoes back onto baking rack, skin side down and rack on a sheet pan (a cookie sheet will warp with the high heat) bake for 15 minutes, edges will brown. remove from oven.

turn oven to broil.
 

sprinkle the insides of potato with coarse ground black pepper, cheddar cheese and bacon. return to the oven. broil for 2 minutes. remove from oven. use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. add a dollop of sour cream to each skin and sprinkle with green onions or chives.

eat.