Recipe: Stuffed Potato Skins (using ham, cheese and red bell pepper)

STUFFED POTATO SKINS

6 russet (baking) potatoes
Kosher salt
2 tbsp butter, melted
7 oz Gruyere cheese, grated, divided use
3.5 oz ham, thinly sliced and cut into about 1/2-inch squares.
1/2 large red bell pepper (about 1/2 cup chopped)
4 green onions thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Rinse potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Make a bed of Kosher salt in the bottom of a baking dish and place potatoes on top.

Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees F for about 1 hour or until tender, turning once. Let the potatoes cool a little after taking it out of the oven.

Cut the slightly cooled potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the insides out leaving about 1/4-inch thickness of potato lining.

Brush the insides and outsides of the skin with the melted butter. Place each half on a baking sheet.

Using about half the grated cheese, fill the skins. Fill the skins with the sliced ham, the red peppers and green onions. Garnish with salt and freshly ground pepper. Top the skins with the remaining grated cheese.

Bake in oven for another 15 minutes or until bubbling hot.

Adapted from source: LCBO Food and Drink magazine, Autumn 2006