T.G.I. FRIDAY’S LOADED POTATO SKINS

When T.G.I. Friday’s introduced loaded potato skins to the world back in 1974, the appetizer was such a big hit that other restaurants were soon cloning the dish for their own menus. I created my own clone recipe of the chain’s creation in 1997 but have now modified the baking technique for the skins to give you a much better—and crispie —properly hacked signature appetizer. If you want to know what the original potato skins taste like, try this recipe.

5 medium russet potatoes
Vegetable oil
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
Salt
1½ cups shredded medium cheddar cheese
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
⅓ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped green onion (green part only)

Cooking method

1-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2-Rub the potatoes with the oil and bake the potatoes for 1 hour on an aluminum foil–lined baking sheet. Cool the potatoes until you can handle them (around 10 to 20 minutes). Turn your oven up to450 degrees F.

3-Slice each potato lengthwise into thirds. The two outside slices will become the potato skins. Use the middle slice for another dish, such as mashed potatoes.

4-Use a spoon to scoop potato out of each of the end slices, creating “boats” with about ¼ inch of potato left around the inside of the skin.

5-Brush the entire surface of each potato skin, inside and out, with the melted butter. Sprinkle a little salt over the top and bottom of each potato skin. Bake the potatoes again on an aluminum foil– lined baking sheet for 15 to 18 minutes or until they are browned around the edges.

6-Put 2 to 3 tablespoons cheddar cheese into each skin.

7-Sprinkle about half of a slice of crumbled bacon over the cheese on each skin. Bake again for 1 to 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

8-Spoon the sour cream into a small bowl. Sprinkle the green onion over the top of the sour cream.

9-Serve the skins on a plate around the sour cream.