Test Kitchen: Viking Gold

This is our go at potato skins - not super healthy, but hey!  They're gluten-free...  We tried both red and gold potatoes, and we're still deciding which we prefer.  It may take another batch to decide...yum.

Viking Gold

10 red potatoes
10 Yukon Gold potatoes
24 oz jalapeno bacon (or bacon cooked with a jalapeno with no seeds or core)
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Seasoned salt (Lawry's)
Cooking oil

Okay.  First we baked our potatoes in the oven at about 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until they were just firm enough to stay together, but definitely cooked through. While they were baking, I sliced the bacon into small pieces, then cooked them until golden brown, draining them on a paper towel.  Once the potatoes were out of the oven, we hollowed out the skins and set the cooked potato innards aside for more experimentation.  We left about a quarter to a half an inch of potato "meat" inside the skin.  We discovered that frying makes the best crisp, though oven broiling is an option.  Let's be honest, though.  No one makes potatoes skins to have a "healthy treat," so we fried those bad boys.  Once they were crispy, we immediately (if you don't, they get too soft) sprinkled the interior of the skin with seasoned salt, filled each with cheese, and topped them with jalapeno bacon bits.  We put these on a baking sheet and broiled them until the cheese was melted and a little bubbly.  These were a huge hit with the family test subjects, and the hollowed out skins can be frozen for up to a week for easy prep, as long as they go straight from the freezer into the oil.