Various types of potatoes still with skin.
Potato skin consists of baked potatoes that have had most of the white part removed, leaving a small part of the inside of the potato and the skin. Most people stuff the shells with ingredients like cheese, bacon, onion, chives, and sour cream. These ingredients are among the most common, but a person can fill the shells with almost any food they desire. However, cheese is almost always included, and cheddar cheese is a common choice. Potato skins are commonly eaten as a snack, but some people eat them as a side dish or even as a main dish.
Potato skins are often topped with crumbled, cooked bacon.
Mashed and baked potatoes are a staple for some people, and many people also enjoy French fries and diced potatoes. Potato skins represent another way for a person to appreciate this plant. However, when a person consumes potato skins, he is not eating as much of the white part of the plant as people eat when they eat mashed or even baked potatoes. Instead, most of the white part is removed, leaving mostly the skin and coverings the person chooses to add.
The potato skin is the most nutritious part of the potato.
Potato skins start out as baked potatoes. To prepare them, one person boils the potatoes and then cuts them in half so that each potato provides two oval pieces to work with. At this point, the cook usually removes most of the egg white, brushes the skin with oil, and sprinkles it with salt. Then return the potatoes to the oven and allow them to cook some more until the rest of the potato is crisp. Some people grill the potato skins or even fry them to crisp instead of grilling them again.
Potato skins can be topped with cold toppings, such as a dollop of sour cream.
Once the potato skins are crisp, the cook usually takes them out of the oven and adds toppings like cheese, bacon, and onions. Then place the shells on the grill or in the oven for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Cold toppings, like sour cream, are usually added to the potato skins just before serving. Along with the typical ingredients like sour cream, bacon, and cheese, a person may choose to add other ingredients like chopped ham, tomato, or bell peppers.
A person can serve potatoes prepared in this way for a wide variety of occasions or as part of an everyday meal. They are commonly eaten as an appetizer, but some people serve them as a side dish to a main dish. Other people, however, make them the main course for a lunch or dinner, especially when they are packed with extra ingredients.