Recipe: Making the most of Baked Potatoes

Here's an unexpected treat: How to use simple baked potatoes to get two fantastic potato treats: mashed potatoes and healthy potato skins!

First, scrub and dry your potatoes. I bake them at 425, unwrapped, for 90 minutes. It makes the skin crispier.



Give them a little while to cool, and then split and scoop out the middles into a bowl.



Add to the bowl about 1/4 stick butter, cut up, a little pepper, a little salt, and a splash of nonfat milk.



And then get to smashing.



When your potatoes are the desired texture (we like ours super thick and lumpy - more smashed than mashed), stick them in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes, before serving.



Pop the skins into a tupperware and store til you are ready to use for potato skins.



Split them apart and pop them in the broiler on a foil lined pan for 8 minutes. Exactly. This will crisp them up.



Then, it's time to add toppings! Shredded cheeses and bacon!!! Yum!



And then back in the broiler. Another 8 minutes. No more. No less.

Sprinkle with some chives and you have relatively healthy potato skins.



I actually like these better than what you would get at your local bar. They have a really yummy potato flavor and there is not a trace of greasiness. Enjoy!