Italian Potato Skins

It is that time of the month again.  No, not that time of the month!!  Secret Recipe Club time!  :)

This month, I had the pleasure of making something from Donna's blog - The Slow Roasted Italian.  What a wonderfully appetizing blog she has going on! Between the Banana Bread Pancakes with Toasted Pecans, Salted Caramel Milk Chocolate Cake, and the Italian Potato Skins - I was salivating!  
In the end, I decided to make the Italian Potato Skins - just because they seemed so different than what I was used to as far as potato skins go. Although, I totally still plan on making the pancakes and cake!  

I was really happy with how the potato skins turned out.  I decided to make them as a light dinner for my family because of they are stuffed with meat.  It turned out to be a wise decision because they are quite hearty and filling. And tasty.  Very, very tasty.

I followed her recipe for the most part, but did modify it just a bit.  I doubled the cheese, because I'm secretly having a love affair with cheese.  Ok, so maybe it's not so secret.  Luckily my husband seems fine with it.  I used a 12oz package of Johnsonville 3 Cheese Italian Chicken Sausage, that I diced in small bits - because that's what I had on hand, and it turned out delicious.  I also added a little onion & garlic.  You can view Donna's original recipe here.

I am so thankful to have found this recipe, and I will definitely be making it again.  I strongly suggest serving it with marinara sauce & sour cream.  It's seriously like pizza on a potato.  It's a rock star!

Italian Potato Skinsadapted from The Slow Roasted Italian

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Ingredients:

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups Italian cheese blend, divided
• 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced
• 12oz Johnsonville 3-Cheese Italian Chicken Sausage, diced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 6 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
• Sour Cream, to serve on the side
• Marinara, to serve on the side

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash the potatoes.  Prick a few holes with a fork in the potato, wrap in aluminum foil, & place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Remove the tin foil.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  
Combine the garlic & oil in a bowl & microwave for 30 seconds with a paper towel on top.  Set aside.
Cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise - and scoop out the insides, leaving a thin rim around the outside for structure/support.  Remove the minced garlic from the oil with a slotted spoon, and reserve.  Brush the garlic infused oil onto the insides of the potatoes.  Bake for 12 minutes.
In a skillet, saute the sausage & onion until nicely browned.  Stir in the reserved minced garlic (from the oil) and cook 1-2 additional minutes.  Turn off the heat.  Mix in half of the cheese & the sun dried tomatoes.
Divide the mixture evenly between the potato skins.  Sprinkle on the remaining cheese & bake in the oven for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with basil leaves & serve with sour cream and marinara sauce.









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Posted in: Appetizers, Cooking, Main Dish, Potatoes, Sides