Chopped Beef Potato Skins – Slow cooked beef in bbq sauce chopped and placed in a hallowed potato skin topped with sour cream, green onions, and cheese.When I was in college in my late teens and early 20’s, I developed a healthy (or not so much) love for potato skins. I never had them as a kid (talk about deprived) and when they were introduced to me I thought they were the greatest thing since sliced bread.

The downside? They aren’t the best for you. Back then I didn’t really care about such things. I rarely eat them now, so when I do, it is a treat. I could try to reduce the fat by substituting Greek yogurt for the sour cream, using less cheese, removing as much of the potato as possible, only leaving the skins, but honestly, no. If I am making them, I am making them right. I just might not make them for another decade, that’s all.

Fall officially begins tomorrow (9/23) but it’s really been fall since the kids all went back to school. But it’s football season (and still baseball season too) and that means lots and lots of Game Day hosting for me. I have the big TV and I think the real reason my friends gather is because I am always happy to cook.

The other day a friend popped over and gave me some beef she wasn’t going to use up (yes, my friends show up at my house with food offerings all the time…not cooked stuff, but stuff I need to cook. It’s rather nice.) and I was still figuring out how I wanted to use it.

Then I got a message on Facebook from someone I knew back when I lived in Texas and about two moments later I had an idea…I wanted to make Texas style stuffed baked potatoes. These potatoes were HUGE. They were baked and then stuffed with BBQ meats, butter, sour cream, green onions, and the delicious cheese.This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NaturallyCheesy #CollectiveBias

The amount of beef I had wouldn’t be enough to make authentic Texas style stuffed potatoes, but I had more than plenty to make potato skins. I put my meat in the slow cooker the night before, I baked my potatoes in the oven and with having Kraft Natural Cheese already shredded, my work was made light.

Of course I served these as an appetizer, but they are hearty enough to work as a meal in my book, so if you serve them for dinner, I won’t tell a soul. Put some broccoli on top and it’s a full meal. When you look at the recipe, it will look like a really complicated endeavor.

But it’s not, I was just very wordy in explaining everything step by step. These were really easy to make and allowed me more time to sit and enjoy the game with my friends and spend less time in the kitchen.

Chopped Beef Potato Skins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Author: Michelle De La Cerda

Chopped Beef Potato Skins - Slow cooked beef in bbq sauce chopped and placed in a hallowed potato skin topped with sour cream, green onions, and cheese.

Ingredients

6-8 small to medium size russets; cleaned
1 1/2 lb beef roast
Salt/Pepper/Granulated garlic
3 cups bbq prepared barbecue sauce; divided 1:2
6 green onions
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Kraft Natural Shreds Cheese (Cheddar)
2 tbsp butter; melted

Instructions

Beef

Heat the slow cooker to low.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and granulated garlic over the beef on all sides, then coat in 1 cup prepared barbecue sauce.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until done.
Once cooked, remove from slow cooker, place on a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
After the beef has rested, chopped coarsely and add to a large bowl.
Add the remaining barbecue sauce, up to two cups (or to the desired wetness) and mix well; set aside

Potatoes

Clean and dry potatoes.
Place in a pre-heated 400° oven directly on the rack. It is not necessary to poke holes in the potatoes or to coat them in any butter or oil.
Bake the potatoes for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the potatoes.
Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool until they can be safely handled.
After the potatoes have cooled enough to be handled, cut them length-wise, creating two long halves.
Using a melon baller or a kitchen tablespoon, scoop out the potato, hallowing it out. Leave as much or as little as potato as desired. Place the scooped potato in a bowl and reserve for another use.

Assembly

Using a pastry brush, apply melted butter to the inside of the hallowed potato and place on a baking sheet.
Place the potatoes back in the heated oven. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until the potatoes have begun to crisp up.
Flip the potatoes over, and bake for another 5-8 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and flip them back over to be filled.
Sprinkle cheese in the bottom of each skin.
Using a kitchen tablespoon, fill the potato with the chopped beef.
Sprinkle more cheese on top of the beef.
Place the potatoes back in the oven for about 5 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt and the beef to rewarm if it has cooled.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle more cheese, add a dollop of sour cream, and sprinkle green onions over the tops.
Serve and enjoy.

Chopped Beef Potato Skins ~ Slow cooked beef drenched in bbq sauce chopped and placed in a hallowed potato skin topped with sour cream, green onions, and cheese ~ The Complete Savorist #NaturallyCheesy #ad

Chopped Beef Potato Skins - Slow cooked beef in bbq sauce chopped and placed in a hallowed potato skin topped with sour cream, green onions, and cheese.

As the host, I try to have a varied spread and when I noticed Kraft Natural Shreds and Kraft Natural Chunk were on rollback at Walmart, I bought them without a purpose. One can never have too much cheese on-hand in my opinion. I would find a use. What’s your favorite Kraft Natural Cheese recipe?