Potato Skins

Ingredients

• 6 small to medium sized russet baking potatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 strips of bacon
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions

Directions

1. Wash the potatoes well, then cook them however you like best, in the oven or the microwave. For the oven method, prick each potato in several spots with a sharp knife or fork, coat it with olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees F for about an hour, until the centers are tender and the potatoes yield slightly when you press them.
2. For the microwave method, poke each potato several times with a sharp knife or fork, rub olive oil over the surface, and microwave on high for about 5 minutes per potato. Oven-baked potatoes are usually a little easier to cut and scoop, since the flesh clings to the skins more neatly, but the finished potato skins come out nearly the same either way.
3. While the potatoes cook, set the bacon in a frying pan over medium low heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, let it cool, then crumble it.
4. When the potatoes are done, take them out and let them cool until you can handle them safely. Slice each potato in half horizontally. With a spoon, gently remove the centers, saving that potato for another use, and leave about 1/4 of an inch of potato attached to each skin.
5. Turn the oven up to 450 degrees F. Brush or rub olive oil over both sides of the potato skins, inside and out, then season them with salt. Set them on a baking rack placed inside a roasting pan; skip the cookie sheet because it may warp, and use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can handle the high heat. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the skins over, and bake for another 10 minutes. Take them out of the oven and let them cool until they are easy to handle.
6. Place the potato skins back on the roasting pan or rack with the skin sides facing down. Season the insides with freshly ground black pepper, then add the cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon. Put them back in the oven and broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling. Remove from the oven.
7. Using tongs, move the potato skins to a serving plate. Spoon a dollop of sour cream onto each one and scatter the green onions over the top. Serve immediately. If any potato has green skin or green flesh, cut those areas away and do not use them; the color signals a toxin that can form when potatoes are exposed to sunlight.