Potato Skins

CraigC

CraigC

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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?
 
Pretty much the same as you.

Keeping it veggie sometimes, we add broccoli, mushrooms, onions, and cheese.

One of the more interesting ways I've had them was filled with New England clam chowdah.
 
You know, I've never cooked them! I think they are a bit more popular in the States than here although I think I've seen them on some steak house restaurant menus. Do you bake potatoes specially to use as skins. If so what do you do with the potato from the inside?
 
You can use the insides for mashies, hash, gnocchi, whatever you would use cooked potato for basically.
 
The twice baked spud that Craigsy mentioned utilizes the innards. You bake them, scoop out the flesh, mash, season (s&p, butter cheese, herbs, etc) and pipe it back into the skin, then bake them a second time.
 
Cottage cheese, sour cream, and chives - as I mentioned in the microwave thread.

After work on Fridays, the girls and I went to TGIF (thank God it's Friday) for happy hour, and split an order of potato skins: (bacon and cheddar cheese topped with sour cream), and an order of onion rings. A couple of glasses of Chablis to wash it down.

Since I like peas and sour cream in my mashed potatoes, I'm sure I would like it in a baked potato.

There's a jazz and blues restaurant that's been around for years called The Baked Potato. They serve all kinds of combos including Philly cheesesteak stuffed potatoes, but I can't see spending $14 for a baked potato and a salad.

Chili topped with grated cheddar and sour cream might be good.

I've seen a baked potato halfed vertically, and filled with a hot dog and sauerkraut.

I think I'll stick with broccoli and cheese.
 
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So - is there a particular way of preparing the skins? Do you leave a bit of potato adhering to them and do you cut simply in half or into wedges? I've looked at a few recipes and techniques seem to vary.
 
Stuffed potato skins, or twice baked aren't a haute type of cuisine. Such precision is not required.

Americans don't regard potatoes the same way English folk do.

Actually, with respect to Cragsy and med's mentioning that they can be a meal, most "skins" are pub food, or an appetizer at best.

Of course some flesh is left in the skin. They are baked to help scoop out the flesh, again-not surgically. Then, the skins may be brushed with a fat or oil and blind baked before being filled. Some are just scooped, then re-filled.
Depending in the fillings, the spuds are then maybe baked or broiled again.
 
buckytom said:
Stuffed potato skins, or twice baked aren't a haute type of cuisine. Such precision is not required.
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No - I didn't think it was but just curious how you guys did them. And you do realise that if you tell me something isn't haut cuisine my fanatical cooking brain then wants to find a way of cooking/presenting it, to elevate it to be so!
 
Yes, you leave a little potato adhering to the edges, and slice the potato in half vertically. You can use a leftover baked potato, fill it with Cheddar and chopped bacon. You pick up the whole half with your hands and eat it.

Here's what TGIF's looked like, and the back story.

Leave it to a single New York City guy to come up with a way to make a million dollars in the first year, & meet career women in a broken down beer joint. It worked. My girlfriends and I went. lol

https://topsecretrecipes.com/tgi-fridays-potato-skins-copycat-recipe.html
 
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morning glory said:
No - I didn't think it was but just curious how you guys did them. And you do realise that if you tell me something isn't haut cuisine my fanatical cooking brain then wants to find a way of cooking/presenting it, to elevate it to be so!
Click to expand...

Ha! So both sides of a coin are revealed at once.

Potatoes, on one hand, are such a delightful thing unto themselves that they are given proper names before being served simply to be appreciated in all their own glory.

But that's not enough.

How can they be elevated? The proverbial dark side of the moon.
 
Karen W said:
Yes, you leave a little potato adhering to the edges, and slice the potato in half vertically
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You mean horizontally? It depend of course on which way up the potato is. :laugh: I do know what you mean.

I did see some which are cut the other way with smaller potatoes - so that they form little cups.

I've now got a little list of ideas and sketches in my notebook... I may use the smoking gun.
 
buckytom said:
Actually, with respect to Cragsy and med's mentioning that they can be a meal, most "skins" are pub food, or an appetizer at best.

.
Click to expand...

We actually use skins as part of an appetizer meal, usually at least 3 different appys.

As @Karen W mentioned, there are restaurants that feature baked potatoes. They used to be 1 our favorite lunches when I still worked in an office with others. Of course they were nowhere near $14 each.
 
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