In my palace, a Friday night in usually means watching the footy. I generally whip up some kind of homemade "takeaway" like pizza, nachos or burgers to keep us happy. I think the cool term for it now is “fakeaway” which I actually love. Sometimes I’m not sure if I see these terms somewhere else or if I actually make them up in my own head? It’s like takeaway but you whip it up yourself and it means you can happily have your pj’s on and your crown and makeup off.

These delicious potato skins take a lead from our cousins over in the US of A, as they have that sort of sports bar kind of vibe. But, they are a great little snack, can be served as part of a ‘party spread’ and are of course, perfect while you are watching the game or match of your choice. Just be warned….they seem to disappear in the blink of an eye, so I would recommend making a double batch but, of course, it does depend on how many you are catering for.

As always, your Combi Steam is going to make these much more breezy to make than ever before. Mostly because you can use that double whammy of steam and convection heat to get the softness for the potato flesh and the browning for the potato skin. It’s all about the balance.

Makes 12 (double triple or quadruple to your heart's content)

Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes (I like to use ones with red skin)
½ cup sour cream (plus extra to serve)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¾ cup grated tasty cheese
6 rashers streaky bacon (chopped into bits) - optional
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 spring onions (finely sliced)
¼ bunch chives (finely chopped)
olive oil spray (or olive oil and a pastry brush)
S&P
tomato ketchup, sweet chill sauce or extra sour cream to serve (if desired)

Method:

1. Place the whole potatoes on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tray into your Combi Steam. Select Steam. Set the temperature to 100°C or 100%. Cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and tender.*

2. Slice the potatoes in half lengthways. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the potato flesh from each piece and place it into a bowl. Be careful not to scoop too deep and break through the skin. You want to leave about ½ cm of even potato coverage on the skins.*

3. Lay the skins back on the lined tray and spray with a little olive oil. Season each one inside with some salt and pepper.*

4. Add the mustard, sour cream, bacon (if using), corn, spring onions and around ⅔ of the cheese to the potato flesh in the bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Spoon the potato mix into each of the skins like you are refilling them and shaped with your hands to create a little mound on top of each. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and the chives.

5. Select Combination Steam (Hot Air+Steaming). Set the temperature to 230°C. (For variable steam, set to 40%) Allow to pre-heat.

6. Place the tray(s) into the preheated Combi Steam. Cook for 15 minutes or until golden browned and bubbling. (You may like to “turn off” the Steam if your oven allows for the final few minutes for extra crunch)

7. Serve with extra sour cream and/or tomato ketchup as desired.

Notes:
*Potato density can vary greatly so please check that your potatoes are very tender by piercing with a sharp knife before removing. If they are not tender please continue to cook until they are.
*Step 1 & 2 can be done up to 3 days in advance and then cool, cover and refrigerate the skins and the filling until you are ready to prepare to cook and serve.
*Use two trays if you are cooking a double batch - you never want to overcrowd your tray as it will affect the intensity and speed of the browning.

V-ZUG/Wolf Only Tip:
*If you are lucky enough to own a V-ZUG or Wolf Combi Steam you will have an option called BakeOmatic which is an exclusive function. In Step 5 you can forget the pre-heating. Place the trays into the cool Combi Steam. Select BakeOmatic - Fresh Aperitif Nibbles - Medium Browned and press start (and set the end time to choose when you want them to be ready if you like). Then leave the oven to determine the cooking time, temperature and control the moisture levels. It will beep when done and then switch off so you can just grab them out and enjoy.

I know that you'll love these. They are a total winner and will bring a smile to the dial of the young and the young at heart! (Which really covers everyone!)

Hope your team is a winner this weekend and every weekend!

Happy Combi Steaming!

Yours in the kitchen,

The CSQ. x