Loaded Potato Skins

Mini Versions

I couldn't get a photo of these that I was really happy with but they're just so lovely to eat that I wanted to post anyway. Any excuse to write about food for me.

I happily discovered that the only potatoes we had in the apartment were just shy of golf ball sized, if you're a regular reader you'll know that I have a penchant for small foods, these were perfect! 

Nothing complicated about this at all, anyone can make these and you can add whatever fillings you like, these are my Loaded Potato Skins of choice but simply put, anything goes. As does any sized potato.

Ingredients:

8 Very Small White Potatoes

4 Rashers Smoked Streaky Bacon

80g Manchego

3 Tablespoons Sour Cream

Vegetable Oil

Sea Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 220C
• Clean the potatoes, dry if washed
• Put the potatoes into a baking dish and pour oil over each one
• Rub the oil into the skins and completely coat, sprinkle with salt

Oiled And Salted

• Cook for 40 minutes

Soft Not Crispy

• Remove potatoes from the oven put onto kitchen paper and leave to cool
• Put the bacon into a new baking dish and cook on 220C until crispy 10 - 15 minutes
• Once cool cut the potatoes in half

Mini Potato Skins Taking Shape

• Using a teaspoon carefully scoop the middle out of the each half and put the scooped potato into a bowl*

Skins!

• Remove the crispy bacon from the oven and put onto kitchen paper to drain, keep the dish to one side
• Cut the manchego into small cubes (grate if preferred)
• Break the crispy bacon into small pieces in the scooped potato bowl, add the manchego and sour cream and mix thoroughly

The Simple But Delish Filling

• Using a teaspoon, fill each skin with the filling

Be Generous

• Put into the baking tray used to cook the bacon
• Pop into the oven at 220C for 10 - 15 minutes

Done!

Crispy bacon, melted manchego with light and fluffy potato in a soft skin flavoured by bacon grease. Comfort food ahoy!

If you want the skins crispy, after you've scooped the center lightly oil the skin and put them scooped side down in a clean baking tray in the oven to dry them out, at 220C this should take 20 - 30 minutes depending on size.

Gluten Free, No Need For Any Adapting

*When scooping out the soft potato be sure to leave some in so that the skin holds its shape.

This wasn't the recipe that I intended to post today, the experiment worked great but the photos did not. I was having a bad camera day yesterday it seems. It will be posted at some stage I just need to make it again and set it up differently. If you like fish it may be of interest.

Next recipe this week will involve Squid, I'm quite excited.