Rabu, 31 Agustus 2011
Happy Hump Day! Today we are celebrating Wednesday with our “The Happy Hour”. Every Wednesday I will be bringing you dishes that you may order during happy hour, hors d'oeuvres and antipasti/appetizers. All with a touch of The Slow Roasted Italian.
When I was thinking of a dish for today’s “The Happy Hour” here at The Slow Roasted Italian I asked Mr. W what he thought sounded good. He came up with potato skins. Imagine that… Midwest meat and potatoes man thinks ‘potato skins’ are a great happy hour dish. Well, being the accommodating wife that I am {{{hehehe}}} I agreed that potato skins would be good, but I didn’t want to do plain old potato skins that have been done a thousand times before. So, I put The Slow Roasted Italian spin on them.
I started out with the standard potato skin and brushed it with a flavorful spice blend and olive oil. Packed it with Italian cheese, sausage and sun-dried tomatoes and topped it with more cheese and basil leaves, served with a side or marinara and a side of sour cream. These are absolutely incredible. Buon Appetito!
Original recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian
Italian Potato Skins
6 Medium Russett Potatoes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 cup Italian cheese blend, divided
1/3 cup Sun dried tomatoes, diced
1 pound Spicy Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage)
6 Fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
Sour Cream, to serve on the side
Marinara, to serve on the side
Preheat oven to 350°.
Clean potatoes with a vegetable brush. Place potatoes on middle rack until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Turn oven to 450°.
While they are cooling, combine olive oil and smashed garlic in a small bowl. Cover with a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the garlic cloves and add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Set aside.
Cut potatoes in half, lengthwise, and spoon out the flesh, leaving about a ¼-½” shell. Brush olive oil mixture over top and bottoms of potatoes. Place on an oiled baking sheet in oven for 10-12 minutes until potato skins are firm.
In a medium skillet over medium high heat cook sausage. Drain. Place in bowl immediately add sun-dried tomatoes and ½ cup cheese. Stir well to combine.
Remove potatoes from oven when done and scoop sausage mixture into potatoes evenly. Add remaining cheese over top of potatoes.
Return to oven to cook for 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with basil.
Plate and serve with a bowl of sour cream and a bowl of marinara sauce.