# Potato Skins



## CraigC (Oct 14, 2018)

I like twice baked potatoes, but my favorite is stuffed, fried potato skins. Some times we will have an appetizer meal with skins being one of the stars. For basics, I like bacon, cheddar cheese, pickled japs, sour cream and hot sauce. Pulled pork with sauce and a white cheese is also great. Mexican fillings, especially chorizo, cotija and salsa. How do you like your skins?


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## Addie (Oct 15, 2018)

Years ago when my daughter was feeding the whole fam damily, it was my job to make the twice baked potatoes, (along with the holiday cake.) Usually I buy a five or ten pound bag of Russets. But with as many mouths to be stuffed, I handpicked out large even sized taters and cut them lengthwise after they baked. Some had sour cream, some sour cream with scallions, some with cheese, etc. I pretty well knew who like what and they had a whole one each. (two halves) For those who ate only one half, it left the other half for someone to try.


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## rodentraiser (Oct 15, 2018)

I prefer to fill them with bacon, cheese, and some sour cream, but a couple of weeks ago I didn't have anything except the potatoes and the cheese. So I thawed some hamburger, cooked it up, and stuffed the skins with that and threw some cheese on top. That was pretty good and I found out that rubbing olive oil over the skins and putting them under the broiler will crisp them up almost as much as frying them.


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## taxlady (Nov 21, 2018)

What is the difference between stuffed potato skins and twice baked potatoes?


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## CraigC (Nov 21, 2018)

taxlady said:


> What is the difference between stuffed potato skins and twice baked potatoes?



With twice baked potatoes the skins are not deep fried, so they aren't crispy.


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## taxlady (Nov 21, 2018)

CraigC said:


> With twice baked potatoes the skins are not deep fried, so they aren't crispy.


Thanks. I didn't realize that stuffed potato skins were deep fried. That sounds yummy. How does one keep the stuff inside the skin while deep frying?


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## blissful (Nov 21, 2018)

To me, potato skins are halved baked potatoes, scooped out, leaving a little white potato on the skin, and they are like little boats. They can be deep fried, or brush them inside and out with oil, and bake them to crisp them up. Then fill them.


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## blissful (Nov 21, 2018)

Memory of my dad: who didn't die of heart disease.
He would eat the middle out of a half of baked potato, then put 1/4 stick of butter in it and salt it, and eat that, butter squirting out everywhere.


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## Rascal (Nov 21, 2018)

Halve then scoop out tatter, throw it away, fill with mashed sweet tatter with butter through it, I also add creamed corn and bacon. Then reheat

Russ


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## GotGarlic (Nov 21, 2018)

taxlady said:


> Thanks. I didn't realize that stuffed potato skins were deep fried. That sounds yummy. How does one keep the stuff inside the skin while deep frying?


They're fried - or rubbed with oil and salt and baked at high heat - before stuffing. Then put the stuffing in and bake to heat it and melt the cheese.

Twice-baked potatoes are filled with enhanced mashed potatoes, while potato skins are usually filled just with bacon and cheese, with a little bit of potato left attached to the skin.


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## taxlady (Nov 21, 2018)

GotGarlic said:


> They're fried - or rubbed with oil and salt and baked at high heat - before stuffing. Then put the stuffing in and bake to heat it and melt the cheese.
> 
> Twice-baked potatoes are filled with enhanced mashed potatoes, while potato skins are usually filled just with bacon and cheese, with a little bit of potato left attached to the skin.


Thank you. Now it makes sense.


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## Addie (Nov 21, 2018)

For a number of years I knew what everyone liked in the twice stuffed taters. So I would make two taters per person. Each person had four halves. One would get cheese, one bacon, one sour cream and butter, etc. I had these little flags that I got from a restaurant. (A friend worked there.) Put names on them. Stuck them in each tater half. Sure, it was extra work, but it was holiday time and for family members. 

I cut all the taters in half, scoop out all the meat and mash it together with butter, salt, pepper.  Then I add the other ingredients to them and place back in the oven to heat up or under the broiler to get some brown edges. One year I got real ambitious and piped the mashed taters back into the crispy skins. Did that only once. 

For some strange reason, I used to love to make more work for myself.


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