WHAT YOU DO
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 200C, then make a slit around the longest width of the potato and bake in a really for at least an hour until super crisp and the flesh is completely soft. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180C. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh – we don’t use this here, so keep it aside to use up as mash, in soup or as a fish pie topping.
Step 2. Put the potato skins on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and salt. Bake in the oven for about 5-10 minutes until much crispier – you might need to turn them over halfway though – but this stage is just to dry them out and crisp them up.
Step 3. Fry the bacon (add a little butter if necessary to get it going) and when the fat has rendered, add the sugar and cook on a very low heat until sticky and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
Step 4. When ready to do the final heating, sprinkle the potato skins with the cheese and lardons. Finish with the spring onions and bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is all melty.
Step 5. While finishing the potatoes, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, vinegar, and chives with some salt and pepper. Place the cooked potato skins on a large platter and serve alongside the sour cream dip.
Recipe by Domini Kemp, photography by Dean Carroll
