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Potato skins saved my dog niece’s life. Nova, my dog niece, has Addison’s disease, which affects her adreanal gland. When Nova has a flare up, she sometimes stops eating, which is obviously very stressful. During one particularly bad flare up, Allison, Nova’s mom, my sister, had tried everything to get Nova to eat again. The poor dog looked like Skeletor. She wouldn’t eat dog food, broth, Wendy’s chicken nuggets, cheese, hotdogs, nothing. Until one fateful day.
Allison was heating up some potato skins for herself, when Nova became very interested. The little dog hadn’t shown any interest in food for some time, so when they were done and cool, Allison offered one to Nova. Lo and behold, she ate it! She loved it! The magic of potato skins had brought back Nova’s appetite. She started eating again, and was back to her happy little self in no time.
Could you use some potato skin magic in your life? I’ve got a recipe for you.
Potato Skins Can Be Improved
If you’ve never had a potato skin, they are little potato shells that are baked in the oven with cheese and bacon on them. Are they delicious? Yes. Perfect? No. What happened to the middle of the potato? Did it get thrown away? Did a little potato gremlin eat it when no one was looking? Who knows. What I do know is that in this version of potato skins, we’re making a filling and stuffing those bad boys.
Equipment
The equipment for this recipe is very simple. You need the following:
- one half sheet pan
- one wire cooling rack
- parchment paper
Ingredients for Twice Baked Potato Skins
- 4 russet potatoes
- salt and olive oil for roasting the potatoes
- butter
- sour cream
- salt and pepper for the filling
- shredded sharp cheddar cheese- if you shred the block of cheese yourself, you will get a better result. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch, which can affect the texture when it melts.
- Dijon mustard- this is the secret weapon. A little Dijon makes all the other seasoning pop. It’s delightful, and doesn’t make the potato skins taste like mustard.
- One egg- this binds the filling and makes the potato skins puff slightly in the oven.
- Cooked bacon, chopped.
- Sliced green onions and sour cream for serving
Method
- Bake the potatoes
- slice the potatoes the long way, scoop out the middles, then slice the short way.
3. Mix up the filling. Taste the filling for seasoning before adding the egg.
4. Stuff the potato skins with the filling, top with cheese and bacon, and bake for 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve with sour cream and sliced green onions.
I hope you enjoy these little twice baked beauties. I know Nova will. 😉
Please leave a comment with a recipe you’d like to see! Happy cooking!
Twice Baked Potato Skins
Ingredients
For Roasting the Potatoes
- 4 large russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the Filling
- the insides of your roasted potatoes
- 1 stick unsalted butter 1/2 cup
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 large egg
For the Topping
- 8-9 strips bacon, cooked and chopped up
- more sharp cheddar cheese
- sour cream and sliced green onion for serving
Instructions
Roasting the Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a half sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper and putting a wire rack inside. The wire rack and parchment aren't strictly necessary, but help with even roasting and cleanup.
- Prick the washed potatoes all over with a fork. Put a little olive oil in your hands, rub the potatoes down, and place them on the wire rack. Sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you don't have any cooked bacon, cook some now. I cook mine in the oven while the potatoes are roasting. Put the bacon on a parchment lined half sheet pan, and bake for 25 minutes.
Prep the Filling
- Let the potatoes cool for 10-20 minutes, or until you can handle them. Slice the potatoes in half the long way, and scoop the flesh of the potatoes into a medium sized mixing bowl, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh on the potato skins.
- Slice the potato halves in half again the short way, making 16 potato skin shells.
- In the mixing bowl with the insides of your potatoes, add the butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, shredded cheese, and dijon. Taste for seasoning before adding the egg.
- After you add the egg, mix the filling until well combined.
Assembling the Potato Skins
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fill each potato skin shell with filling, going no higher than the top of the potato skin. Arrange all the potato skins on the same wire rack and half sheet pan you roasted the potatoes on.
- Top with cheese and bacon bits, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the filling has puffed very slightly.
- Sprinkle the potato skins with sliced green onions and serve with sour cream.
