Tex Mex Tater Skins

Happy Monday! It was quite a relaxing yet productive weekend and overall a great weekend with the Baron. It was exactly what I needed since the upcoming weekends will be busy for me. In fact, next weekend will be a fun one since it will be the Superbowl! Next to Thanksgiving, it's been said that Superbowl Sunday is the second biggest food celebration. So in honor of those who enjoy the Superbowl either for the game (like the Baron) or the food (like me), I'll be sharing some touchdown tastes all this week! To kick things off, I have to feature potatoes, the Baron's favorite ingredient. These Tex Mex Tater Skins incorporates a bit of south of the border flavor that you can customize with a variety of toppings. Potato skin bar, anyone?...



I'm a big fan of food bars, which are a buffet of ingredients that allow folks to customize their food. These potato skins are great to serve for a potato skin bar where everyone can top them with an assortment of toppings - sour cream, cheese, salsa, guacamole, etc. That said, you can make these in advance and warm them up just as folks arrive. Set them out in a big pile on the table and let your hungry guests have fun customizing them!

Tex Mex Tater Skins

inspired by Cooking Light

• 3 1/4 pounds russet potatoes
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, colby, quesadilla, etc)
• 
  
• Suggested garnishes:
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• guacamole
• sour cream
• pico de gallo or salsa
• diced onion

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. 
   
3. Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. 
4. 
   
5. Remove potatoes from oven and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out flesh, leaving about a 1/4-inch-thick shell. Combine flesh, milk, sour cream, and buttermilk; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Stir in taco seasoning. Divide mixture evenly among shells. 
6. 
   
7. Place potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle potatoes evenly with shredded cheese. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until heated.
8. 
   
9. Remove from oven and top with your preferred garnishes.