The idea for this dish came to me when I was pondering just how awesome food is. It happened to be in school, good thing I pay attention so well in class. (Since my Mom's the biggest fan of this blog, I figure I should throw in a little disclaimer right here...I finished all my work, don't worry, Mom!) Anyways, I then started thinking about comfort foods. If you think about, so many comfort foods are beyond messy, that you refrain from eating them. I'm a firm believer in the policy of, "If you want a certain type of food- you eat that type of food." So why should we hold back on our favorite dishes, just because theyre messy? Or rather, why cant we make a more bearable option that isn't embarassing to eat? Thus, my take on loaded potato skins. Between the dripping cheese sauce, breaking potato wedges, and faling bacon pieces, you cant tell me that once or twice you havent looked around to make sure no one was looking before you stuffed your face.
First, decide how many people you'll be serving. You'll need about 1 potato per person. Slice the potato into round slices of an even thickness. If your knife skills aren't too great...I mean, if you're a little rusty since your last Iron Chef challenge, try using a puntilla knife or even a non-serrated steak knife, rather than a santoku knife. The smaller blade will help you maintain more control.
Once you're done slicing, toss the potatoes in some extra virgin olive oil, light works the best for cooking, and some kosher salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn them over, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. They should be a little crispy on the outside, but still potato-like on the inside. Once they're done, fill up your cocottes with the potato slices.
Take some of your favorite barbecue sauce, and drizzle it over the top of the potatoes. Be as liberal or as sparse as you'd like. If you want to add some heat to the dish, now is the time to add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce; drizzle it right onto the potatoes. On top of your sacues, add some chopped up bacon. I did about 1 to 2 tablespoons per cocotte. I also threw in some thinly sliced scallions at this point just for the added flavor.
Grate up an equal blend of monterey jack, and cheddar cheese. This duo is perfect for the dish because it is sharp enough to taste, but it doesn't overpower the barbecue sauce and other flavors.
Cover the potatoes in cheese, and garnish with a tiny slice of bacon, and a scallion. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted and the piece of bacon on top is cooked.
SERVE WITH:
-Some type of chicken, since there are so many flavors going on in here, a simple grilled chicken breast will be just bland enough to enhance the flavors of its accompaniment.
until next time,
K
NON-COOKS LIFELINE:
Lazy-Man’s Lobster- A lobster dish, most predominately known in New England, in which a lobster is served to you with all of its shell cracked, and all of the meat easily accessible.
Puntilla knife/non-serrated steak knife- These are two similar types of knives which have a larger blade then a paring knife, which is very small, but smaller than a chefs knife, which is one of the largest styles of knife, right before the cleaver. Serrated is when a knife has those little ridges of lines evenly spaced out on the blade.This means that you should cut the object in a saw-like motion.
Cocottes- small, cast iron pots.
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