Guilty Pleasures.

There is nothing like a plate full of crispy potato skins, filled with melty cheddar cheese and topped with bacon bits, sour cream and green onions. The first time I had these I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I long for the days when I could eat potato skins with wild abandon! I could eat a whole plate back then (and drink a pitcher of beer along with it) and be none the worse. Sigh.

Ingredients:

• 6 small to medium sized potatoes, rinsed clean
• 8 oz of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 slices of smoked, thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter
• 6 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tbsp of chopped chives
• Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke the top of each potato with a fork and place on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 1 hour. Once cooked, remove from the baking sheet, and place on a plate to let cool for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, add sour cream to a small bowl with half of the chives, mix, and let this sit in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cook your bacon for about 15-20 minutes and crumble it down when done.Once your potatoes are cooled, use a sharp bread knife and cut lengthwise in half. With a small spoon, carefully scoop out about 70 % of the potato. Next, melt butter in the microwave. Get your broiler heated to high. Brush the butter on the inside and outside of each potato skin and place them back on the baking sheet. Place them under the broiler for 8-10 minutes until the insides get a bit crispy from the melted butter. Remove, and place generous amounts of cheddar cheese into each skin, topping with bacon pieces. Place these back under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Carefully remove from the oven. Add sour cream and chives to each potato skin.

Enjoy!