A Friday treat is hear for all! Well not all but everyone who loves potatoes, cheese and bacon. Heck even if you don’t love bacon, I am pretty sure you will still love these little bits of comfort.  Some days when you get home from work or are sitting on the couch taking a breather, comfort food is all you need.  Whether it is your favorite fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, some chocolate cake or baked potato skins and bacon – food can definitely change your mood.

Despite these skins taking a little bit of effort – the end results are well worth the effort.

Ingredients

• 6 Large baking potatoes
• 1/4 Tsp.salt
• 1/4 Tsp. pepper
• 1 Cup Cheddar cheese, Swiss or Asiago cheese
• 6 slices slices bacon, cooked
• 3 Green onions, chopped

Method

1. Scrub potatoes; prick several times with fork. Bake in 450°F (230°C) oven until tender, about 1 hour. Let stand until cool enough to handle. (Make-ahead: Let cool completely; refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 days.)
2. Cut lengthwise in half; scoop out flesh, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick walls (reserve flesh for another use, such as soup or mashed potatoes).
3. Arrange, cut side up, on baking sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper, then cheese.
4. Bake in 450°F (230°C) oven until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
5. Top with bacon and green onions and serve immediately.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For an extra kick, you can add some crushed red pepper flakes or chili powder to give it a little heat or you can have sour cream on the side spiked with hot sauce.

I don’t mean to cut this short but let me tell you these potato skins are pretty darn yummy and I would like for you to try them… ok?    Let me know what you think of them after you make them.

Movember Update – Week 2

The Mo is growing… slowly but surely.

I have to go get down to the conference for the final day.  I hope you have a great Friday and a fun weekend.  I will catch up with you on Monday!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

As this week is catering week, another recipe that I served was super simple yet dazzling sweet potatoes.  Instead of the traditional potato skin I thought I would attempt a slight twist to kick it up a notch.  I used flavorful sweet potatoes which were baked twice, drizzled with sour cream and crumbled bacon.  Sound alright?  They were quite delicious.

Getting back to the tips from yesterday’s post with regards to catering, I prepared the sweet potatoes the day before by baking them.  I then made the filling and stuffing for the big day.  This was really simple as you will see further down in the steps below.  This offers the guests something a little different with a bit of color.  I am one of those people – “If it looks great, I am all over it”

Check out the ingredients and instructions for these Sizzling Sweet Potato Skins.

Ingredients

• 4 Medium Sweet Potatoes
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/4 Cup Low fat Buttermilk
• 1/4 Tsp. Paprika
• 1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
• 4 Slices Bacon (Fried and crumbled)
• 3 Green Onions (Chopped for Garnish)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400, place sweet potatoes on a sheet and rub with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake for 45 minutes.
2. Half sweet potatoes length wise and scoop out most of the flesh into a mixing bowl.
3. Mash until smooth; add buttermilk, nutmeg and paprika.
4. Stuff sweet potatoes will filling.
5. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until lightly brown around the edges at 400 degrees (about 15-20 minutes).
6. Garnish with bacon, sour cream and green onion.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When baking the sweet potatoes the first time, it is a good idea to keep them somewhat firm and not over cook them.  They will soften up the second time around as well as with the butter milk.

Stay tuned for another catering dish coming up tomorrow…. Have a great day!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty