Frugal Friday: Day-After-Mashed-Potatoes Potato Skins

What do people usually do when they are making a batch of mashed potatoes? They usually use a potato peeler to remove the skins and then they boil the potato pieces. What a waste of nutrients and those yummy skins! You lose some of the water-soluble vitamins from the potatoes in the cooking water (which you pour down the sink) and you lose all the fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals from the potato skins (which you throw away).

But here's a frugal Friday solution...Cook the potatoes in the microwave instead, then cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the soft potato (for the mashed potatoes). The potato skins can then be used to make a side dish or appetizer the next day! I actually do this every time I make mashed potatoes.

Here's a recipe that you can try the day after you make mashed potatoes - Pesto Provolone Potato Skins. Of course you can also make the traditional potato skins with cheddar cheese and top it with turkey bacon broken into pieces and chopped green onions.

PESTO PROVOLONE POTATO SKINS

Photo: Elaine Magee

Ingredients:

10 russet potato skins (5 russet potatoes cooked in the microwave and then cut in half lengthwise with a majority of the potato flesh scooped out)
About 2 teaspoons canola oil
2 1/2 tablespoons pesto
3 to 4 ounces sliced or shredded reduced fat provolone
3 green onions, white and part green, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450-degrees.
2. Place the potato skin halves on a nonstick cookie sheet, skin-side down and brush the inside of each potato half lightly with canola oil using a silicon brush. Bake potato skins in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until lightly brown.
3. Spread about 3/4-teaspoon pesto inside each potato skin. Place 1/3 to 1/2 of a provolone slice (or a heaping tablespoon of shredded provolone) in each potato half.
4. Bake potato skins until the cheese is bubbly, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle chopped green onions over the top of the potato skins and serve!

Yield: 10 potato skins (5 servings of 2 skins each)

Nutrition Information per 2 potato skins: 182 calories, 8.5 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 2.2 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, 12 mg cholesterol, 3.5 g fiber, 255 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 39 percent.

Related Topics:

• 10 Easy Entrees You Can Make for $5 or Less.
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox