Super Skins Recipes

Steps:

• Pre-heat the broiler on your oven.
• Wash the potatoes thoroughly.
• Poke the potato 4-6 times with a fork to let moisture out during "baking".
• OPTIONAL: Rub butter on the out side of the potato and season with garlic, salt, pepper, or what ever seasoning you would like to give it a little extra flavor.
• Put the potatoes on a plate and put cook in the microwave for 10 minutes.
• While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon. I did it in the broiler to save on an extra pan and keep it easy. Just keep an eye on it so they don't burn. I just laid the bacon out on my broiler pan and put it right under the broiler.
• Once the potatoes are done, take them out and slice them in half.
• Use a spoon to scoop out a little of the inside to form a small shallow "bowl" with the potato.
• Chop the cooked bacon and sprinkle some in each of the potato "bowls" I plan for appx one slice per potato half.
• Next, Sprinkle cheese over the potatoes. I say 1/2 cup for 4 halves just as a general guess. You can go light or go heavy, how ever you prefer.
• Put the potatoes on a broiler pan, if you used one for the bacon, or even just a cookie sheet.
• Put the pan directly under the broiler and cook until the cheese melts and starts to brown.
• Remove from oven.
• Top with desired amount of sour cream and serve.
• Optional: you can sprinkle fresh chives or green onion on top after the sour cream.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub the potatoes lightly with olive oil and bake them on a foil-lined baking sheet until their skins are crisp and a fork easily slides into their flesh, about 1 hour. Transfer the potatoes to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
• While the potatoes are cooking, assemble the toppings. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, then transfer to a small bowl. Reserve the bacon fat. Grate the cheese into a small bowl; you should have about 2 cups. Trim and thinly slice the scallions. (Feeling frisky? Caramelize some onions. Shred some ham or grate some Gruyère.)
• Using an oven mitt or a folded kitchen towel to handle the hot potatoes, cut each into quarters lengthwise to create four wedges. Using a small spoon, scoop the flesh from each wedge, leaving 1/4 inch or more of the flesh. (Save the scooped potatoes for another use, like potato pancakes or soup.)
• Set the oven to broil. Return the wedges to the foil-lined baking sheet. Paint a bit of bacon fat on each, then top with cheese and bacon. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling. Place the skins on a serving plate. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a teaspoon or so of sour cream on each and scatter the scallions over the plate. Serve with hot sauce.