Stuffed Potato Skins

Serve these tasty potatoes at a Halloween get-together or you could wrap in foil and eat outdoors around a bonfire - or after a brisk autumn walk.

Try cheese and bacon or cream cheese and pineapple flavours.

Ingredients

Cheese and bacon potato skins
4 baking potatoes
100g reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 medium onion
2 rashers lean bacon
2 x 5ml spoon vegetable oil

Cream cheese and pineapple potato skins
4 baking potatoes
1 x 227g can pineapple chunks or rings in juice
50g reduced-fat cream cheese

Equipment

Weighing scales
Fork
Baking tray
Oven gloves
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Metal spoon
Grater
Measuring spoons
Frying pan
Wooden spoon
Scissors
2 x Mixing bowl
Can opener

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan or gas mark 6.
2. Scrub the potatoes and prick all over with a fork.
3. Place them on the baking tray in the top of your hot oven for 1 hour.
4. Whilst the potatoes are baking, make the fillings.
5. When the potatoes are cooked they will feel soft when you squeeze them and you should be able to insert a fork into them easily.
6. Carefully remove the potatoes from the oven using the oven gloves and cut them in half. They will be very hot!
7. Carefully scoop the hot potato out. Place the inside of the potato into a bowl and mix with your choice of filling (see below).
8. Spoon your filling mix back into the potato skin.
9. Place the stuffed potato skins back in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Then serve.

Cheese and bacon filling

1. Peel and finely chop the onion.
2. Heat the oil in the frying pan and gently cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
3. Cut the bacon into 1–2cm pieces using the scissors and add to the onion. Cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Grate the cheese and mix all ingredients together.

Cream cheese and pineapple filling (V)

1. Drain the pineapple and chop into 1cm pieces.
2. Mix the cream cheese with the pineapple.

Skills used include:
Weighing, measuring, peeling, chopping, grating, mixing/combining, frying and baking.

Top Tips

• The baked potatoes will be very hot. Use oven gloves when you cut them in half and be careful as they will be very steamy. Wait a few minutes before scooping out the filling.

Something to try next time

• Swap the pineapple for 10g of chopped chives. For something different try using sweet potatoes.

Prepare now, eat later

• You could cook the jacket potatoes in advance. If your potatoes are cold, then allow around 30 minutes to cook once the filling has been added.