More 'Props for Fingerlings

I actually ended up watching the Super Bowl alone this year. Well, “watch” may be the wrong word. I had it on in the background and would stop and watch a commercial or a play every so often. What can I say? I am not a big football fan. But I did feel honor-bound to eat football party food for dinner. Digging around in the fridge and freezer, I found fixings for Ellie Krieger’s Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe. While not quite the same as a greasy batch of chicken wings, it was actually a good substitute, particularly as I have never been a fan of skin-on chicken on the bone, miniature or otherwise.

To accompany the salad, I whipped up a personal sized batch of potato skins, using Russian Banana fingerling potatoes from the Union Square farmers market. Since I was already trading salad for wings, I couldn’t really justify frying potatoes, so I baked them instead, using a technique recommended by Elise at Simply Recipes. Even with low fat cheddar and Oscar Mayer ready serve bacon, the end result was gooey and delicious – so worth the minimal effort.

Better than Foam Finger[ling] Potato Skins Adapted from Simply Recipes

By nature, a fingerling potato has very thin skin. Ironically, I found it easier to scoop out the smaller fingerling potatoes, so try to choose ones that are uniformly narrow and scoop out “flesh” using your smallest measuring spoon.

Ingredients 3 fingerling potatoes (I like Russian Banana fingerlings) 1 t. olive oil Coarse salt 1 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded or finely diced 1-2 strips bacon, diced 1 T. finely chopped scallions Method Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare fingerlings for baking (scrub, prick with fork, rub with oil and salt); bake for 20 minutes or until soft. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise across narrower side to ensure maximum surface area for toppings. Scoop out most of potato “flesh,” rub interior with a little oil and return to oven. Bake another 10 minutes or until interior starts to brown and crisp. Sprinkle with cheese, bacon and scallions; return to oven until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream or blue cheese dressing (like the one from Ellie Krieger’s Buffalo Chicken Salad).