Bacon & Cheese Potato Shells - by Gynelle Alves

 A little bit of work but such a crowd pleaser. While cheese and bacon is a classic, once you have your basic roasted potato skins/shells you can literally stuff them to your hearts desire. Smoked salmon with sour cream and chives, onion & smoked mackerel/haddock, cheddar, with caramelized onion and apple, feta and spinach, avocado guacamole, pizza-styled toppings… As a certain little girl I know says, ‘just use your imaginary’.

Skins Ingredients:

8 medium-large baking potatoes 8 for 16 skins, roughly even sized (you don’t want fighting at the table for the big ones)

Olive oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Scrub potatoes clean. Pat dry and prick them over with a fork. Splash a little olive oil over to coat them. Bake for an hour and a half till the outsides are nice and crisp. Once they cool down, neatly cut them in halves longways and scoop out the insides (into a bowl for later) but leaving a nice rim of potato inside the skins so they hold shape. These can be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated till needed.

Stuff ‘em up! Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup heavy cream or sour cream

1 + 1/2 cups strong cheese grated (cheddar, parmesan etc)

2 spring onion greens only

Bacon, diced and pan fried or grilled in a little butter till nice and crispy (we use lean chicken bacon which is super!)

Mashed potato (saved from before)

Fresh, chopped parsley

Freshly ground black pepper, salt to taste

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C. In a bowl using a fork, mix the mashed potato up with 1 cup of cheese, spring onion greens, cream, salt and pepper. Brush the insides of the potato shells with melted butter and spoon in your stuffing, placing them as you go onto an oiled baking tray. Top each potato skin with remaining cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes till lovely golden and the skins crisp. Top off with bacon and some parsley and you’re done.