Yesterday, we had some friends for dinner and I had it in mind to make some potato skins. I just knew my teens would love them; remember when these were all the rage?

I wanted the skins themselves to be very flavourful, even before the toppings. Of course the traditional cheese, green onion, bacon and sour cream is wonderful, but just not right for us...one of my children does not eat dairy (so there, the cheese is out), and my friends are pescetarian (don't eat meat, so no bacon). Never mind how fat laden those old-style ones were; I think they were deep-fried, too! Ouch!

So without any further ado, here is my baked-and-slimmed-down version:

BAKED POTATO SKINS WITH ROASTED GARLIC SPREAD

8 or 9 smallish russet potatoes
2 heads garlic
1/4 cup butter, softened
a few TBSP olive oil
coarse salt
black pepper

Accompaniment: tzaziki

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prick each potato once or twice with a fork. Cut off and discard top fourth of garlic head, then wrap garlic tightly in foil. Drizzle garlic with olive oil before wrapping.

Bake garlic and potatoes on same rack in lower third of oven until potatoes are tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove potatoes from oven and cool on a metal rack 15 minutes. Continue to bake garlic until tender, about 15 minutes more, then cool in foil on rack.

While garlic cools, halve potatoes lengthwise, then halve each half (to form short wedges). Scoop out potato flesh (reserving it for another use), leaving 1/4-inch-thick potato skins.

Increase oven temperature to 425°F.

Squeeze garlic into a small bowl, discarding garlic skins, and mash to a paste with butter, salt, and pepper using a fork.

Divide garlic paste among potato skins (about 1/2 teaspoon each), spreading evenly, then roast skins in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Cooks' note:
• Potato skins can be scooped out and spread with garlic paste (but not baked) 1 day ahead and chilled, loosely covered with foil. Bring to room temperature before baking.

* I did these ahead of time, and doubled the recipe, partly because I was serving a crowd, and partly because I knew they would be a hit, especially with the teens! Double the recipe made two jam-packed cookie trays full. I used the leftover garlic paste in the mashed potatoes I made with the innards (to be served another day).

I served these for appetizers, with Gina's cucumber and yogourt dip. For the main couse, I made my Spinach and Phyllo Pie (2 of them which I popped into the oven after the skins were done), two bbq salmons, stuffed with lemon and dill, and my girlfriend brought gummi berry pie for dessert.

We we had a lovely dinner! Hope you all enjoyed your Saturday evenings, too!

Carolyn!