Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 - 4 md. baking potatoes*; scrubbed
- 8 - 10 strips bacon; cooked medium crisp
- 6 oz. sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese; shredded
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup sour cream; for dipping
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Prick potatoes with a fork or sharp knife and bake until tender throughout - 45 to 60 minutes. Cool until just cool enough to handle.
3. Using a soup spoon, scoop flesh out of potatoes leaving just under 1/4-inch of flesh behind. Reserve flesh for other purposes.**
4. If using a deep-fryer fill it according to direction and set temp to 375 degrees.
5. Otherwise fill a large (5 - 6 quart) pot two-thirds full of oil and place over medium-high heat and bring oil to 375 degrees. (Note: You will need and oil/candy thermometer.)
6. Cook skins in two batches until golden brown and the thinner parts are crisp. Drain on a paper towel.
7. Re-heat oven to 375 degrees.
8. Distribute bacon and then cheese equally between skins, then bake until cheese bubbles and begins to brown.
9. Scoop sour cream into a bowl, generally season skins with salt and pepper, and serve.
Variations:
- A .I've never done this, but people I trust report good success with brushing the skins with oil (butter preferred) and baking until browned in a 400 degree oven. This avoids deep-frying.
- B. A veggie friend stuffs these with steamed broccoli and cauliflower topped with cheese.
- C. Salsa and even guacamole can be good alternative dips, and I ran across one recipe that replaced the bacon with either pulled pork adobo or shredded Southwestern chicken.
*Note 1: You must use a high starch potato so Idaho Russets are the best bet.