Potato Skins

I didn't have any green onions.

There is a restaurant in North Syracuse named Zebb's that I adored as a kid.  They served vanilla or cherry coke and awesome salads.  I also loved their potato skins and would order them as a meal.  I have not had them in years and suddenly, I had to have them.  Must've been some female hormonal thing.  But, I don't live anywhere near central New York.  So, what's a girl to do?  Make them, of course!

So glad I did.  So. . .Good.  Everyone in my family devoured them.  The salty skins and cool sour cream, and melted cheese,  there is not much better.  When I scooped out the insides, I had grand intentions of using the insides for baked potato soup, but my husband fed it to the boys for dinner the next night while I was out for a bit.  Oh well...  Anyway, these are so worth the time! Enjoy!

POTATO SKINS

simplyrecipes

INGREDIENTS:

• 10-12 small to medium sized russet baking potatoes
• Olive oil
• Canola oil or grapeseed oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 12 strips of bacon
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream or greek plain yogurt
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions

DIRECTIONS:

Scrub the potatoes clean, pierce the skin with a fork a few times and then rub with olive oil.  Bake in a 400°F oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble.  I use turkey bacon and cook it in the microwave on a paper towel lined paper plate until it is very crisp, then crumble.

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, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.

Increase the heat of the oven to 450°F. Brush or rub grapeseed oil or canola oil (or another high smoke point oil) all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp, use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can take the heat). Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.

Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with freshly ground black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with green onions.

Serve immediately. Serves 6. (We ate them cold too!)