Mini Smoked Salmon And Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

This is a great healthy recipe and a variation of a popular dish. This snack version is a great finger food whether you are watching World Cup Soccer, having a graduation party, or just want a tasty morsel for appetizers before dinner.

I love this variation because it is made with healthier ingredient choices, and it is has the added bonus of a wonderful addition - smoked salmon.

These are super easy to make and are usually the first appetizers to leave the building! Try them and I think you will find that the recipe is definitely a keeper!

Makes 12 servings (1 serving = 1 stuffed potato half)

INGREDIENTS

• 6 small Yukon gold or red potatoes (2 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspon black pepper
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated white cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped smoked salmon (1 ounce) - substitute another kind of fatty fish such as tuna, etc.

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Rub potatoes with oil - sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt
3. Place potatoes on jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes - or until tender
5. Remove from oven - cool for 10 minutes
6. Cut potatoes in half crosswise. Cut off a small portion of the rounded edge - so the potato will sit upright
7. Carefully scoop out about 1 teaspoon of pulp from each half. Leave shells intact
8. Combine the potato pulp, milk, butter, pepper, cheese and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl
9. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon potato mixture back into the potato shells.
10. Arrange stuff potatoes on jelly-roll pan and top each with 1/2 teaspoon chopped salmon
11. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes - or until thoroughly heated through

Recipe courtesy Cooking Light magazine April 2007

While we may think that we have a corner on the market so to speak when it comes to filled potatoes, actually this is a popular dish worldwide.

Here in the United States, we call this particular style of cooking by several terms - loaded potato skins, filled potatoes, and twice-baked potatoes.

In the US, we generally use ingredients such as bacon, cheese, butter and cream (and the pulp of the potatoes we removed sometimes - as in twice-baked potatoes).

In England, these are known as jacket potatoes. In the UK, they fill them with such things as baked beans, curried chicken, tuna, prawns, chili con carne and more!

They were also sold on the streets of London mostly in autumn and winter months in the 1880's.

In Scotland, they are filled with haggis which is a mixture of sheep organs, oatmeal and suet (among other things).

In Turkey, these are called Kumpir and are considered a 'fast food' because people generally eat them on the go. They are stuffed with kasar cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, sweet corn, sausage, carrots, mushrooms and Russian salad among other things.

As you can see, this is a rather universal dish although from country to country, the ingredients may change. However, the basic underlying concept is still the same....Cook the potatoes, scoop out the pulp (in some cases) and fill it with something else! 

Sometimes the toppings are just added to the already cooked potato and eaten as an entire meal.

No matter how you fill your potatoes or what recipe you use, this is a wonderful side dish or in this mini version's case, a great appetizer.

Experiment with other foods or stuffings and see where your imagination takes you.