Loaded Potato Skins

When I was in college, the father of one of the guys that I hung out with owned Annabelle's restaurant chain.  Since one of their restaurants was close to our apartment complex, we often went over there and ate free meals.  We always made sure to get an order of their potato skins, an item that was just gaining in popularity at other restaurants in the area.

I've always loved potato skins, and this recipe is a great compliment to our baked potato soup.  When you make the soup, you'll end up with 16 skins, so why not try these at the same time?  These skins store well in the refrigerator for a couple of days, and can be reheated in a toaster oven in about 10 minutes.

Ingredients

• 8 Idaho potatoes
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Shredded cheese
• 1 cup green onion tops
• 4-6 strips of bacon
• Sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Wash the potatoes and poke a few holes in each with a fork.  Coat each potato with olive oil, then sprinkle kosher salt over all sides of the potato.  Bake for 1.5 hours (do not wrap potatoes in foil), then remove from oven and allow to cool.  Note that you'll want to put a sheet of aluminum foil under the potatoes to catch any drippings.

Cut the cooled potatoes in half lengthwise, then scoop out the "meat" of each potato.  Use in soup, as mashed potatoes, or discard.  In each skin, place a sprinkling of shredded cheese, some green onion tops (small rings cut from the green onions),  and some bacon.  Top with an additional sprinkling of cheese, then bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.

Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream for each skin.