Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Cheesy Potato Skins

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sliced green onions

Bake potatoes. I always find boiling is the easiest way to go. Should take about 30-45 minutes, or you can split them in half and they'll take 20-30 minutes. Let them stand until they're cool enough to handle. Cut into fourths, carefully scoop out pulp, leaving just the shells. Save the pulp for future use (mashed potatoes are just as good!)


Place potato skins, skins down, on rack in broiler pan. Brush with butter. Broil on the top rack for 8-10 minutes or until crisp and brown.


Sprinkle cheese over potato shells. Broil about 30 seconds or until melted. Serve with sour cream and green onions.


What I did differently from the recipe:
Totally left out sour cream and green onions because we don't like them. Added bacon, because - YUM!

What I'll do differently next time:
Absolutely nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! I hate how long it takes to boil potatoes, but it was so worth it. These tasted just like the appetizer at many steak restaurants. It wasn't the easiest recipe ever, but the only hard part was scooping out the pulp. Some of the potatoes were so soft they fell apart easily, which is why you see several halves in the final outcome! Obviously they still taste just as good.

$$:
I've had some interest in how much it costs to make these recipes, so I'm going to try to keep up with that when I remember and when it's possible. I only bought 3 potatoes - more than enough for two people - ($2.50) and the cheese (on sale for $1.67). I don't know how much the bacon cost but mom bought it when it was Buy 2, Get 3 Free so it was probably around $2-3. All in all I probably spent between $6-7 on this. That's about how much it costs at any steakhouse, except the rest of our meal was fresh veggies from the garden, which were free. At a steakhouse, we would be laying down another $15-20 for both of us. Worth it!

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