These Bacon and Cheese Potato Skins are great as an appetizer or snack food for game nights and even as a tasty, savory side dish!
Alright guys...hold on tight! Can you believe that I've never actually had potato skins up until our last night in Paraguay?
I don't know how this happened - I mean it's classic pub grub. Well, probably because I don't usually hang out in pubs or bars. Definitely more of a coffee shop hang-out kinda girl. If you've followed me for any decent amount of time, you definitely know this by now.
On our last evening in Asuncion, Paraguay, we planned to have dinner at a much-recommended local eatery. However, once we got there, there was not a single free table and we didn't care enough for the atmosphere to wait it out. We also were soo hungry...
T.G.I. Friday's To the Rescue!
Thankfully, right across the street was a T.G.I. Friday's, which I hear is an American restaurant chain. To me, it was novelty enough to be excited about trying it out. The menu pointed to the restaurant's fame for their potato skins, so of course we had to taste for ourselves to see what it was all about.
We absolutely LOVED the potato skins. I mean - really, what's not to love about crispy, buttery potatoes with bacon and cheese and a green onion sour cream dip to round it all up.
OF COURSE I had to find a way to make these wonder potatoes at home - and the result wasn't lacking anything behind the restaurant original.
For now, we move on to the last stop of our Paraguay vacation. I love sharing our trips with you, and pregnant or not, I'm going to make sure you have a recipe to read and some cool vacation shots to enjoy. And so, without further ado...
Asuncion City
After our visit in the Gran Chaco (in the middle of nowhere), we returned to Paraguay's capital of Asuncion for a few more days of relaxation and to explore the city.
Pantheon de los heroes - an entire building dedicated as memorial to various war heroes
The beautiful Government Palace
The downtown core was easy to explore on foot. I was in love with the historic buildings and the city's liveliness. So many people where out and about on foot like us, and street sellers had everything from food and drinks to movies + music and clothes on offer. The quantity was staggering!
All these fancy thermoses were most interesting to me. They are for drinking yerba tea, either hot as mate or cold as tereré. Drinking the tea is a shared community experience that we could observe at every street corner.
The tea leaves are filled in the small cup with a metal straw. Then the cup is filled with hot or ice water and passed around in a circle while regularly being topped up with water. A curious sight to see for me as a visitor, but I guess it is a great way to encourage to stay hydrated in this warm climate, as well as staying well-connected to your neighbors.
Konrad had a close a encounter with a little birdie while we were resting in the shade on a park bench
Plenty of relaxing and reading by the pool to finish off our vacation. Can you believe they had Dulce de leche ice cream?!
And these potato skins from our last dinner in Paraguay at T.G.I. Friday's inspired today's recipe.
The potato skins are great as an appetizer or snack food for game nights and even as a side dish. Enjoy the spoils and get snacking!
Another delicious Potato Recipe:
Bacon and Cheese Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 8 medium-small potatoes cleaned and dried
- â…› cup butter melted
- salt
- black pepper freshly ground
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 5 to 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- sour cream
- green onion
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce each potato a few times with a fork or knife. Bake potatoes directly on the center oven rack for about 50 minutes. Skins should be crisp and you can easily insert a knife.
- Cool potatoes for about 10 minutes. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh - leave about ¼ inch. Brush insides with melted butter and season with salt + pepper. Turn potatoes, now brush the outsides with butter and season with salt + pepper.
- Turn oven to broil and arrange potatoes on a baking sheet. Broil skin-side up for 2-3 minutes until the butter starts to foam. Turn potato halves over and broil another 2-3 minutes until top edges start to brown.
- Fill the potato skins with shredded cheese and bacon crumbles and broil 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly,
- Serve immediately with sour cream and chopped green onion.
Recipe adapted from Chow.com
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Jacquee @ I Sugar Coat It!
Hilarious that you go all the way to Paraguay only to find yourself in a TGIFridays!! I know of the chain, but have not eaten there. Your potato skins look way more appetizing than theirs. 🙂
Regina
I realized comparing the pictures side by side that mine do look quite different. Absolutely love the extra crunch in the home-made version.
Faith @ Pixie Dust Kitchen
Love that your first TGIFridays experience was in Paraguay, haha! I've loved seeing your vacay pictures on the blog- they're making me want to travel again! These look great- I'll definitely be making potato skins sometime soon!
Regina
Haha, it must be funny for someone who knows TGIFriday's from home. I am always happy when I hear people are inspired to travel. I know how much it means for our lives and what an enrichment it is 🙂