Recipes

Game Day Loaded Potato Skins Three Ways.

In those first few weeks after the beginning of the New Year, everyone is on a healthy-kick, whether we made resolutions about it or not. It’s time to get back into routine, kick those bad-holiday habits, and buckle down with some healthy eating. We have been staying on track at our house with healthy meals during the week. In order to keep my sanity with this healthy-eating, I need to allow myself one day a week to cheat a little and indulge. There is no better day to indulge in the middle of the winter than football Sundays. The term “go-big or go-home” applies to both the actual game on TV, and how I feel about Sunday football snacks.I’ve been scheming up this special football snack for the most important game of all, and had to test it before the big game arrived: a loaded potato skin bar. Now you have your classic potato skins, which are baked potatoes that are scooped out, re-baked, and topped with delicious things like cheese and sour cream, bacon and scallions. YUM. With a perfect vehicle like baked potato skins though, I knew we could do better and top them with all sorts of other delicious flavors. One variation has a spinach-artichoke dip spread on top, and then is baked with a little bit of cheese and some crispy fried onions. Another variation is like a chili-cheese style nacho with crispy corn chips, all baked on top of a tasty potato skin. I used my favorite chili recipe to top these; it’s a great way to use up leftovers in the fridge or any that might be hanging around in the freezer! Both variations are an indulgent twist on a classic savory snack, and I can’t wait to serve these the next time we have friends over to watch the game! (PS: Head to Peapod to order all of the ingredients for the next game and skip the rush at the store!). 

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Game Day Loaded Potato Skins Three Ways.
Serves: 12 Servings
 
Ingredients
  • 6 Medium Russet Potatoes
  • 2 Slices of Bacon
  • Leftover Beef Chili
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • Red Onions
  • Scallions
  • Corn Chips
  • 1 Cup of Spinach
  • ½ Cup of Artichoke Hearts
  • 6 oz. of Cream Cheese
  • ¼ Cup of Mayonnaise
  • 1 Clove of Garlic
  • Cracked Black Pepper
  • ¼ Cup of Parmesan Cheese
  • Crispy Fried Onions
  • Sour Cream
  • Scallions
  • Assorted toppings: Jalapeños, red onions, black olives
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place 6 medium-sized potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, until cooked through and the skin starts to get wrinkly.
  2. While potatoes are cooking, prepare the toppings.
  3. For the classic potato skins: Dice and cook two slices of bacon until crispy, drain excess fat and set aside. Shred cheddar cheese, dice scallions, and scoop sour cream into a bowl.
  4. For the chili-cheese-corn-chip potatoes: Thaw leftover chili, shred cheese, dice red onions and scallions, and measure out corn chips.
  5. For the spinach-artichoke potatoes: Combine spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, and cracked black pepper in a small food processor. Measure out parmesan cheese and crispy fried onions.
  6. Once potatoes are fully cooked and removed from the oven, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out about half of the inside of the potato, reserve scooped potato flesh for another use.
  7. Fill one third of the potatoes with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and the chopped pieces of crispy bacon. Fill another third of the potatoes with the leftover beef chili and top with cheddar cheese. Fill the remaining third of the potatoes with the spinach artichoke dip and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and crispy fried onions.
  8. Return the filled potato skins to the baking sheet and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and garnish classic potato skins with sour cream and scallions, garnish the chili potato skins with corn chips, red onions and scallions. Black olives and jalapenos are other optional toppings you could add onto the potatoes. Garnish spinach artichoke potatoes with more parmesan cheese, and cracked black pepper. Serve immediately, while hot.

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