Texas Football

This morning I went to the store and bought a whole lotta butter, chocolate, sugar, cream, and various ingredients for yummy recipes to eventually take to the neighbors for Christmas. (Those delicious delicacies coming soon!) In Texas however, even while the lights are twinkling and the temperatures are dropping, we cannot ignore our football.

In our house we are usually college level fans but since this was rumored to be a heck of a game, and my hubby needs something to talk about the next day at the watercooler we decided to tune in.
Oh sad, sad day.....yes, the score was not nice but at least we were able to enjoy some football food while we wept.....

We have many recipes for game day but since this was a last minute decision and the game came on about the time the kids were getting ready for bed I stuck with an old favorite.

We call them Potato Skins

Yes, they are basic and most of you probably already know how to make them but honestly, when is the last time you actually did?

Ingredients:

5 pd bag potatoes - I had large reds in my pantry but russet is a popular choice or baby reds

~1 pd cheddar cheese (varies) - my favorite is sharp cheddar

3 oz bag bacon bits (I like the real ones)

butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

garlice powder

sour cream

avacado

salt and pepper

baby red tomatoes

 

Scrub your potatoes, stick them with a knife or fork about 4 times and pop them in the microwave. My microwave has a potato sensor button but you can start with 10 minutes, test them out (knife should slide through like butter) and keep adding minutes from there.

Hold potatoes with a paper towel because those babies are hot! Slice lengthwise and scoop out leaving about 1/4 inch all around. Combine oil, salt, and pepper and brush inside and out. If you prefer buttery goodness skip the oil  brush with melted butter and garlic powder. Place on highest rack and bake 10 minutes.

Carefully remove from oven and fill the insides with shredded cheese and bacon bits. Sneak a few of the bacon bits. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Check and see if cheese is melted to your satisfaction.

Can you smell them??? Ohhhh, they smell delicious. Now is the fun part. Once the cheesy goodness is out of the oven you get to eat as is or experiment. We have made varying plates in the past that added guacamole, shredded rotisserie chicken, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, avacado....the ideas are endless. My favorite is to add a chunk of avacado, a dab of sour cream, and a slice of a baby red tomato. I think those particular toppings add a freshness to the dish. (pic at top)

My hubby likes them just like this. Loaded down and ready for the game!

 

~Just an note! For gameday we like to lightly salt our avacados and tomatoes. I know, I know, not healthy at all but that's not the point. Just eat all salads the next day to balance. Also, did you really think I ate all 5 pds of those potatoes!! As I mentioned in my previous post, I love things that freeze well and these surprisingly do! I am trying out freezing them with the cheese this time (I'll let you know) but usually I freeze them before adding the topping. Then all I have to do is reheat for about 10 minutes in the oven the next time with the toppings added and they taste great!