Loaded Baked Potato Soup With Crispy Fried Potato Skins Food

BAKED POTATO SOUP WITH CRISPY POTATO SKINS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Scrub potatoes clean; prick each a few times with fork. Bake directly on rack in center of oven 60 to 70 minutes or until tender. Cool 10 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Cut each potato in half; scrape potatoes out of skins into bowl, leaving 1/4-inch shell. Mash potatoes with fork or potato masher. Set aside. Brush shells, inside and out, with melted butter; sprinkle with salt. Cut each shell in half lengthwise, and then into 1/2-inch strips crosswise. Place on cookie sheet; bake about 20 minutes or until golden and crispy. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in 4-quart Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon; set aside. Decrease heat to medium. Add onion. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add 3 tablespoons of the flour, the thyme leaves and pepper; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Beat in chicken broth and mashed potatoes with whisk; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 30 minutes. Stir in cream; heat to simmering. In medium bowl, toss 1 1/2 cups of the cheese with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Add cheese mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until cheese is melted and soup is smooth after each addition.
• To serve, ladle soup into serving bowls. Garnish with remaining cheese, sour cream, green onions, bacon and crispy potato skins.

LOADED BAKED POTATO SKINS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Prick potatoes several times with a fork and place onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven.
• When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them lengthwise and scoop out flesh to within 1/4 inch of skin. Reserve flesh for another use. Place skins back onto the baking sheet.
• Combine olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl; brush over both sides of skins.
• Return to the oven and bake until very crisp, about 10 minutes, turning skins halfway though.
• Sprinkle skins with Cheddar cheese and bacon. Return to the oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 2 more minutes.
• Serve topped with sour cream and green onions.

FULLY LOADED POTATO SKINS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 415 degrees F (200c/gas mark 6).
• The day (or up to 2 days) before you load them, prick all 10 potatoes, then bake the potatoes until the skins are crisp and the insides floury, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. As soon as you can bear to tackle the hot potatoes, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop the insides into a bowl. Put the husk-like skins of the potatoes on a tray and, when cool, cover until you are ready to fill them. Let the potato cool in the bowl, and then cover until needed.
• When you are ready to fill the potatoes, preheat the oven to 415 degrees F (200c/ gas mark 6). Add 7 ounces (200g) of grated Cheddar to the cold potato along with the sour cream. Finely chop the spring onion and add to the potato, with the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon the potato filling into the potato skins, and lay each half on a baking tray so they fit snugly together. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, giving each potato skin a light covering, and cook until golden, about 20 to 30 minutes. In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Fry the bacon rashers in the oil, or grill them, until crispy. Remove them to a paper towel lined plate and then crumble. Sprinkle each potato skin with the bacon to make them fully loaded. Transfer the potato skins to a serving platter and serve.

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Wrap potatoes in aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool potatoes until easily handled and cut into cubes.
• Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels and crumble.
• Combine milk, cream, sour cream, processed cheese, and Cheddar cheese in a large pot over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until cheeses are melted, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and bacon to milk mixture and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until potatoes begin to dissolve into soup, about 20 minutes; season with onion salt and black pepper.