Andrew Diroll's Twice-Baked, No-Fry potato skins

Twice-baked, no-fry potato skins (I think). T his is a three-phase operation. Bake yourself some potatoes. Get two big ones, scrub the dirt off, prick the skins with a fork a little, and rub them down with olive oil and sea salt. Put them on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven at 400F for about an hour.

While this is going on, fry up some bacon. Three slices is enough for two potatoes. You don't want the stuff to be extra crispy, just cooked enough to crumble. If you're motivated enough, you could chop up the bacon before you fry it, but then it requires more care in the frying. When they're about done, you shred them by hand. Set the bits on a paper towel to soak up the grease.

After the allotted time, take the potatoes out and let them cool for a few minutes. Cut them down the middle and scoop the guts out into a medium-sized bowl. Leave about 1cm thick deposit of potato meat around the insides. Spray or brush the skins with olive oil and throw them back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until they start to brown slightly.

Meanwhile, mash up the extracted potato guts with about a cup of half-and-half or cream, throw in some black pepper and the bacon bits, and a handful of shredded cheese for good measure. Take the skins out of the oven and pack this mealy gruel into the skins. Then, throw them back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Top with more cheese, chives, green onions, whatever you like. Serve piping hot. One of these is enough for a good-sized snack or side dish. I served them with bison burgers and a small green salad. It was very good and I passed out with a food baby growing in my stomach.