Go Patriots!!! Let’s get started on the makings for a big Superbowl party! This is an easy crowd to please…with lots of flavorful, spicy, hearty, eat-with-your-hands type of foods. Lucky for us, these types of foods are easy to make ahead and heat up the day of the game.
Today, let’s start with overloaded potato skins, or buffalo potato skins if you use Tabasco in the melted butter stage! Easy to prepare, freeze and bake at the last minute.
Superbowl Potato Skins
Ingredients:
- enough large russet or Idaho baking potatoes, allowing 1/2 per person
- shredded cheddar cheese
- shredded monterey jack cheese
- diced bacon, crisped and drained
- melted butter (if you love heat, add splashes of Tabasco)
- salt & pepper to taste
Wash the potatoes, coat hands with soft butter or vegetable oil and rub all over the potatoes. Pierce each several times with the tip of a paring knife. Place on a baking sheet (lined with parchment to make for easy clean-up) and bake @ 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour, or until a sharp knife inserts easily. Let cool.
Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving 1/4 inch of potato meat all around the skins. (you can make mashed potatoes with the leftover scooped-out potatoes)
Brush the insides of each potato skin with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place back on the baking sheet to roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown and sizzling. If you are freezing these ahead, let the skins cool before proceeding.
Stuff each potato half with a generous amount of shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, sprinkle with the bacon bits. It is at this point that you would seal them in a freezer container if freezing. Thaw one day in advance of the game by removing from the freezer and place in the refrigerator.
Bake in a 400 degree oven only until the cheeses melt and skins are sizzling hot, perhaps 10-15 minutes.
