When I make gnocchi, I bake the Russet potatoes first on high heat (450º F). After removing them from the oven and allowing them to cool off enough to handle them, I peel them, reserving the peels in a large bowl. The skins are delicious when baked again with a combination of cheese, herbs, and even anchovies.
Ingredients
- Potato skins from baked Russet potatoes
Mushrooms, a red pepper, and parsley used in my twice-baked potato skin recipe
- A Calabrian or Thai pepper, minced
- A handful of minced herbs, such as rosemary, parsley, and sage
- Olive oil infused with garlic
- …any optional additions, such as anchovies, fresh mushrooms, and grated Parmigiano or Peccorino cheese
Preparation
- The first time I made the twice-baked potato skins, I sautéed some anchovies in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil, an Italian red pepper, rosemary, and garlic.
- I removed the garlic from the olive oil and mixed the oil containing the homogenized anchovy and herbs with the potato skins.
- I sprinkled them with some grated Parmigiano cheese, and then baked the mixture in a pre-heated oven (450º F) for 15-20 minutes. They were delicious!
Another variation…
- The next time I made the baked potato skins, I was out of anchovies and rosemary. But I had some wonderful fresh mushrooms, so I sautéed the stems with a bit of olive oil and an Italian pepper.
- I combined the olive oil and minced pepper with the mushroom caps, some sage, rosemary, and parsley, and then mixed gently with the potato skins.
- I baked the mixture in a 450º F oven for 15 – 20 minutes, and it was fantastic.
The bottom line is that baking the potato skins again with a combination of some of your favorite cheeses and herbs makes a winning appetizer or side for a dinner.