Potato skins are the weighted blankets of the food worldwarm, comforting, and just heavy enough.
Potato skinsthe bedrock of bowling alleys and dive bars are an endangered species.
This is not your standard midweek meal.
So, of course, I tackled it midweek.
I opted for slab baconfat pink slicesbut you might use whatever bacon you like.
Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and lay the bacon on top of it.
Put the baking sheet on the middle rack of your cold oven, and turn the dial to 375F.
The bacon should be done in roughly 20 minutes.
Now, the potatoes.
You probably bought a five-pound bag of russet potatoes.
Take out three potatoes.
Youll have about three pounds left.
Vigorously scrub, then dry the spuds with a dish towel.
Poke holes in the skin with a fork.
Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with two tablespoons of olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper.
The bacon should be nearly ready.
Grab a pair of plates, and layer them with paper towels to soak up excess grease.
Take out the bacon and turn the oven dial to 400F.
Lay the bacon on the paper towels and dab off a bit of grease.
Grab a cutting board.
Chop the bacon into little bits or fat squares, whichever you prefer.
Save and strain thebacon greasethats collected in the pan below.
Take them out, and let them cool for roughly 10 minutes.
Keep a towel handy.
Your hands might get a little slick from the olive oil on the potatoes.
You want to have enough potato flesh leftabout 1/4 inchso that you cant see the skin underneath.
Sprinkle on salt and pepper.
Nestle them, skin side up, in a single layer in your casserole pan.
If you have extra skins, dont worry.
We can broil in stages.
Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to mix.
Rinse and finely chop the half cup of chives.
Mix in the chives, a half cup of shredded cheddar cheese and a half cup of sour cream.
Mash until evenly mixed.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the bowl with foil or place it in awarming drawer.
Weve (finally) arrived at the potato skin part.
Place your casserole dish full of skins on the ovens middle rack.
Set a timer for three minutes.
You want the skins to feel crackly, but take care not to burn them.
If they havent crisped up, give it two more minutes.
Take the casserole dish out.
Flip the skins gently with tongs, and broil for five more minutes on the middle rack.
Take the dish out of the oven.
That layer should be as thick as your finger.
Place the casserole dish on the top rack of your oven and broil for one minute.
Check to see if the cheese is properly melted.
If not, let it go for another 10 to 15 seconds.
