Ed and I used to order potato skins in bars and restaurants all the time, until I started making them at home.  It takes a bit of work but they’re really easy to make, they’re perfect for parties, and it’s much more cost efficient to make your own.  The bars and restaurants deep fry their potato skins but these are baked in the oven so they’re not as crispy.  You could deep fry your potato skins (after you’ve scooped out the baked flesh) in vegetable oil at 350 degrees F.

Potato Skins Recipe

makes 8 pieces

4 medium sized russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 to 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into pieces

6 to 8 tbsp sour cream

1 green onion (green part only), sliced

olive oil

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted unsalted butter

coarse salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Rub the potatoes with a little bit of olive oil and place on a roasting pan.  Bake for 1 hour.  When the potatoes are cooked through, they will give a little when pressed.  Turn the oven temperature up to 475 degrees F. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, make 2 lengthwise cuts through each potato.  Discard the middle section.  With a spoon, scoop out the flesh of each potato skin leaving about 1/4 of potato along the inside of the skin.

Note:  Restaurants deep fry their potato skins.  You could do this in vegetable oil heated to 350 F until crispy, but I prefer to bake mine.

Brush melted butter generously onto the inside and the outside of of the potato skins.  Sprinkle the inside of the potato skins with some salt and pepper.  Place on a rack in a roasting pan and cook for 7 minutes.  Turn the skins over and cook for another 7 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese into the insides of the potato skins, followed by crumbled bacon and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.  Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin and sprinkle with green onions.  Serve immediately.