Crispy Baked Potato Skin with Mexican-Blend Cheese

I didn’t know that we can eat the skin of potatoes before; not until a friend of mine order this yummy appetizer from BJ’s. I was immediately in love with it. However, ever since kids came along, there is no time to visit BJ’s just to get a taste of potato skin. So, I need to be creative and re-invent this crazy-good appetizer. After many trial-and-errors in the kitchen and with the help of googling online recipes, I finally came across this crispy baked potato skin. This recipe is mainly adopted from NYT cooking with some tweaking to my likings.

The regular potato skin’s recipe will call for cheddar cheese as one of the main ingredients. Also, usually, you will add sour cream and green onion on top of the potato skin. This might seem unconventional, but I find that this baked crispy potato skin with Mexican-blend cheese is perfect the way it is. You do not need extra topping to go with it. Well, maybe ketchup, but that’s it, nothing more. I find that the Mexican-blend cheese has already added a hint of sourness to it. Maybe because Mexican-blend cheese consists of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso quesadilla, and Asadero cheese. Not that I am an expert in cheese, but the flavor already has everything you need for a great potato skin.

Not only is potato skin great for appetizer, it is also good for potluck or party. You can make ahead and freeze them. All you need is just pop it back in the oven about 10 minutes to reheat under 350 degrees Fahrenheit prior to serving. So, what’s not to like?

Tip: If you cook your own bacon, save the bacon grease to substitute for olive oil. Later, use the bacon grease to brush onto the potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 8 medium-sized russet potatoes
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 3 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
• 1 cup crumbled bacon (or 5 slices of cooked bacon – crushed)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup Olive oil

Optional additional topping:

• Sour Cream
• Chopped green onion or parsley

Directions:

• Scrub potatoes until it is cleaned and pat dry. Brush potatoes with olive oil (or bacon grease if you have any).
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place aluminum foil onto baking sheet and line the brushed potatoes. Bake the potatoes for one hour.
• Once it is done baking. Set aside for the potatoes to cool down for about 15 minutes.
• Cut each potato into halves. Scoop out the flesh starting from the center and leave the flesh at least ¼ or ½ inch thick from the skin. Save the scooped potatoes for other use, like perkedel kentang or croquette.
• Brush the scooped-out potatoes with olive oil (or bacon grease). Place it back to the foiled baking sheet.
• Then, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
• Top each potato skin with parmesan cheese, Mexican-blend cheese and bacon.
• Set the oven to broil. Place the potato skins under the broiler until the cheese is melting.
• Place it on a plate and let it cool down before serving.
• If you like, you can add a scoop of sour cream and garnish it with chopped green onion or parsley.