Presentation is everything, right?
Little Guy has been somewhat picky lately, and I think he's getting bored with the SAME food over and over again. I understand how he feels since his diet is somewhat limited with food allergies to nuts, eggs, sesame, dairy (and possibly salmon). So, I wanted to try something a little different and fun to get him excited.
Enter...Healthy potato skins that can be filled with anything you and your family like (or that you want your kids to TRY to like!).
I actually showed little guy a photo of these potato skins first. I wanted to get him excited about them, and I called them potato BOATS. I explained they were so yummy and he was going to have his own boat to fill with whatever he wanted. Basically, I tried to build them up before we ate them!
He WAS excited about it, so I knew I already won the first half of the battle.
So how do you make them?
First, wash the potatoes and spray or rub them with olive oil. I used my trusty Misto Olive Oil Sprayer
. Oh how I love it!
Then bake the potatoes at 425 degrees for 40 - 60 minutes. Mine took closer to 60 minutes.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides. I used a tablespoon which was about the perfect size for these potatoes! Save the leftover potatoes for another meal...something like mashed potatoes or even potato pancakes!?
Spray the insides and outsides with a little more olive oil, flip over the potatoes skin side up on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with a little salt. I used kosher salt.
Broil the potatoes in the oven for 3 - 5 minutes to get them crispy.
Flip over your potatoes skin side down and sprinkle on your favorite cheese. We of course used Daiya due to Little Guy's dairy allergy. Daiya cheddar style shreds worked nicely for this recipe.
Broil the potatoes for another few minutes (about 3) until the cheese melts.
Add your toppings. We had black beans, tomatoes, chicken, avocado, and corn and broccoli not pictured here.
Top your potato and enjoy!
He actually ate it too! Amazing!
What are some cool things about this recipe?
- You can fill your potato skins (or potato boats!) with whatever you want
- This is a great make-ahead recipe where you can cook your potatoes up to the cheese step, and prep your toppings ahead of time. Just add cheese, broil the potatoes, and fill 'er up!
- You can make a fun and beautiful presentation with these for your family or guests!
- The skins of potatoes are actually VERY nutritious. According to eatright.org, potato skin has more nutrients than the rest of the potato. They contain B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, calcium, potassium and other nutrients.
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes - makes 8 potato skins
- Daiya cheddar cheese
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Toppings: Whatever you desire. We used black beans, tomatoes, chicken, avocado, and corn and broccoli.
Directions
- Wash the potatoes and spray or rub them with olive oil. I used my trusty Misto Olive Oil Sprayer
- Bake the potatoes at 425 degrees for 40 - 60 minutes. Mine took closer to 60 minutes.
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides. I used a tablespoon. Save leftover potatoes for another meal.
- Spray the insides and outsides with a little more olive oil, flip over the potatoes skin side up on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with a little salt. I used kosher salt.
- Broil the potatoes in the oven for 3 - 5 minutes to get them crispy.
- Flip over your potatoes skin side down and sprinkle on your favorite cheese. We used Daiya cheddar style shreds.
- Broil the potatoes cheese side up for another few minutes (about 3) until the cheese melts.
- Add your toppings. We had black beans, tomatoes, chicken, avocado, and corn and broccoli.
Next time I'd like to add a little bacon for crunch and flavor. What would you put on your potato skin!?
Here's my favorite Misto sprayer!
2 comments:
I love this idea Kathryn! I see little guy loved it too, very nice :)
Thankfully he did like it Diane! I asked him a few days later if he'd like to eat them again and he said yes. A good sign!
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