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Light and Easy Skinny Potato Skins Recipe

Tasty Thursdays

Welcome to tasty Thursdays on the blog! After the popular crockpot pork tenderloin recipe and the great feedback I received I’ve decided to make it a permanent series. BUT! Before we continue there are a few things you should know:

  • I will most likely not stick to the recipe: I somehow always forget something and I substitute it with something that looks similar (for example parsley for sage)
  • I love oregano on anything Italian, so I will most like add it even if the recipe doesn’t call for it.
  • I am not a pretty chef. My food may taste amazing but I’m a beast in the kitchen, if the kids get too close they may end up covered in ingredients.
  • I don’t take pretty food pics. Since I am a working mom, I usually try to get dinner done on the weekends. If I am adventurous enough to cook on a weekday it is after 6:30 pm which means no natural sunlight. I’m usually so focused on getting dinner on the table, I am more than likely not going to have the brainpower stop to take quality pictures.
  • I will be honest. If there is an annoying part of preparation–I will let you know. My prep time also never matches the recipe prep time. Maybe I’m a slow prepper? Hmm.

Now that you know the rules to Tasty Thursdays, let’s get onto our feature recipe Skinny Potato Skins.

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I got this recipe from Rocco DiSpirito’s cookbook Eat This Not That. This is really from the sides/appetizer section, but hubby decided he was good with this as a main entree.

A regular loaded potato skin is full of butter, bacon, cheese, full fat sour cream and who knows what else. I haven’t had them in years but when my husband and I dated at teenagers we really only went to TGI Fridays and this was our absolute favorite starter.

This version packs a lot of flavor with a fraction of the fat and calories.  Instead we will be using low fat sour cream, low fat cheese, baked tortilla chips and salsa.

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The key to this recipe (and the most time consuming) is gutting the potatoes after you cook them in the microwave. Since it was late in the evening, I didn’t have time for it to cool. So it took a while to gut the potato to leave only a quarter inch of flesh. All other parts were very easy.

My husband loved these! He went back for seconds and thirds. They were done by the second night. I think it’s a great alternative to the mashed potatoes side.

Hope you enjoy!

skinny potato skins

Ingredients

  • 2 medium russet potatoes (about 8 ounces each), scrubbed
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup mild or spicy salsa, such as Pace
  • 1 cup (about 1 ounce) coarsely crumbled baked corn chips, such as Guiltless Gourmet
  • 1 cup shredded (about 3-1/2 ounces) 50% reduced-fat cheddar cheese, such as Cabot
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño pepper (leave the seeds in if you like it hot)
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream, such as Breakstone’s
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil, and set it aside.
  • Prick the surface of the potatoes several times with a fork. Microwave the potatoes on high until they are completely cooked through, about 12 minutes, turning them halfway through. Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them.
  • Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, scoop out and discard (or reserve for another use) the flesh of the potatoes, leaving a very thin wall of flesh — less than 1/4 inch thick — attached to the skin.
  • Put the potato shells on the prepared baking sheet, hollowed side up. Spray them inside and out with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake the potato shells until they are golden brown and beginning to crisp, about 10 minutes. If the bottoms of the shells start to brown too much, flip the shells over and continue baking.
  • Spoon 2 tablespoons of salsa into each shell. Scatter the crumbled chips over the salsa. Toss the cheese and jalapeño together in a small bowl and top the chips with the cheese mix. Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 8 minutes.
  • Serve the potatoes topped with dollops of sour cream and the remaining salsa and a sprinkling of cilantro.

 

Would you ever try skinny potato skins?

Pin It Party - Week 50 - Confessions of a Mommyaholic

Sunday 7th of December 2014

[…] 1.  Pineapple Smoothie – Masshole Mommy / 2. My Tips and Tricks for Concealing and Treating Breakouts – But First, Coffee  / 3.  Skinny Potato Skins – Brooklyn Active Mama […]

Faith

Tuesday 15th of April 2014

This looks so, so good!

KalleyC

Tuesday 15th of April 2014

I haven't made potato skins in a while! This looks so yummy!

Losing in the City

Thursday 10th of April 2014

I so need to make this.. i love a quick dish and it looks tasty :-)

Nellie

Sunday 13th of April 2014

its so good Cass!! and easy.

Leslie

Thursday 10th of April 2014

Those sound delicious! And don't get all hung up on taking the best pictures or sticking 100% to the recipe. Real life gets in the way...on a daily basis. Looking forward to more great recipes!

Nellie

Sunday 13th of April 2014

Thanks! and amen to that! Sometimes I see some of these pictures and I am like WHOA! this is a art!