Recipe Of The Day: Potato Skins

When your favorite team doesn't make it to the Super Bowl, we all know who the real MVP is: food. No game day watch party would be complete without a spread of marvelous dips, crispy chicken wings and a big plate of nachos. But one starter dish that deserves more hype is potato skins. The butter coated app is baked until golden brown and loaded with bacon bits, cheddar cheese and sour cream. Are you drooling yet? 

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Often relegated to chain restaurants and holiday dinners, loaded potato skins might be overlooked when it comes to football season, but the finger food is no scrub. Although it's a bit more time consuming than making mashed potatoes, the crispy exterior of the skin and the cheesy center make it an ideal comfort food. Not to mention you can use the potato skins for dipping in sour cream, hot sauce and even ranch dressing.

Once the potatoes are done baking and they've been sliced in half, use a spoon to scoop out some of the flesh. This will give you room to add on your toppings. Be sure to leave about 1/4-inch of the potato's center in tact so that you still get some of it's flavor. After broiling the potato halves, fill each skin with cheddar cheese, bacon bits and sour cream. Serve the appetizer alongside these game day favorites, from buffalo chicken dip to short ribs.  

Idaho Potato Skins

Ingredients

• 6 small to medium Idaho® russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup Hormel® Real Bacon Bits
• Sour cream, for serving

Directions

Step 1: Heat the oven to 400F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Step 2: Pierce each of the 6 russet potatoes with a fork and place directly on the oven rack. Bake until the skins are crisp and a knife can easily pierce the potatoes, about 50 minutes.

Step 3: Transfer to a wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

Step 4: Set oven to broil.

Step 5: Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4-inch intact; reserve the flesh for another use.

Step 6: Brush the insides of the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Flip the potatoes over, brush the skin sides with the remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Step 7: Evenly space the potato halves skin-side up on a baking sheet and broil until the butter foams and the skins start to crisp, about 2—3 minutes (keep a close watch so they don't burn). Flip the potato halves over and broil until the top edges just start to brown, about 2—3 minutes more.

Step 8: Evenly fill the potato skins with the 2 cups grated cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup bacon bits.

Step 9: Place in the broiler and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4—5 minutes.

Step 10: Remove from the broiler and top each potato with sour cream. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Idaho Potato Commission.