A fresh take on the traditional seven-layer dip
Everybody seems enraptured by seven-layer dip. And not that it's bad, but it's been done. And done again. And again.
So for this year's Super Bowl party, why not freshen it up a bit? Take the same concept of shoveling piles of delicious toppings into your mouth, but instead of chips use a slab of roasted potato.
To create our seven-layer potato skins, we started with some of the traditional toppings for potato skins — bacon, scallions and cheese. From there, we added crumbled sausage (more pig!), a garlicky sour cream and caramelized onions. OK, so they're more like over-stuffed, almost twice-baked potatoes. But with party food this delicious, who cares?
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SEVEN-LAYER POTATO SKINS
Start to finish: 45 minutes (15 minutes active)
Servings: 16
8 medium potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 large yellow onions, diced
Salt and ground black pepper
8 ounces loose sausage meat, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 scallions, sliced
Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, then coat with cooking spray.
Poke the potatoes all over with a fork. Microwave on high until tender, 10 to 12 minutes depending on the wattage of your microwave. Allow to cool until easily handled.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onions and cook until softened and browned, 15 to 18 minutes.
When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half. Scoop out and reserve the insides, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick wall of potato flesh on the skin. Arrange the halves skin sides down on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the potatoes with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisped and browned.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together the reserved potato flesh and the sausage. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and garlic. Set aside.
Once the potato skins have baked, start layering them. Spoon a bit of the caramelized onions into the bottom of each shell. Top with the sausage-potato mixture. This should mostly fill the shell. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the potatoes, followed by cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes. Top with a dollop of the garlic sour cream and sprinkle with the scallions. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information per serving: 160 calories; 70 calories from fat (44 percent of total calories); 8 g fat (2.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 7 g protein; 210 mg sodium.
