Stuffed Potato Skins

These wee beauties make a great starter or you can add a side salad for a great lunch. This is the combination I use, but you should use your imagination and experiment. This is a great way of using up the leftover meat you strip off a cooked chicken. We are sometimes a little bit too quick to throw out the roast chicken carcass without taking a few minutes to fully strip it down ... there is always another small meal left with the use of a little imagination.

Ingredients

4 medium/large rooster potatoes

A large handful of leftover chicken, shredded

1 red pepper

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons pesto

12–14 basil leaves

Sea salt and black pepper to season

Olive oil for brushing

Parmesan cheese

Method

• Scrub and carefully stab the potatoes all over with a small sharp knife. You can bake them for 45–50 minutes in a hot oven (200ºC) or for 10–12 minutes in a microwave until soft.

• Meanwhile, place the shredded chicken in a large mixing bowl. De-seed and finely slice the red pepper and add it to the bowl.

• Add the sour cream and pesto. Roughly chop the fresh basil leaves and add to the bowl. Season well with plenty of black pepper and a pinch of salt and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Set aside.

• When the potatoes are cooked through and cool enough to handle, slice them evenly in half. Scoop out the flesh using a teaspoon, leaving a thin layer of potato (keep the flesh to use in another recipe).

• Using some flavoured or plain oil, brush a light coat all over both sides of the potato halves, set them skin side up on a grill and carefully grill them on a medium/high heat for a few minutes until crispy – be careful not to burn them. Turn them over and do the same, lightly crisping the insides.

• Spoon the chicken mixture into the potato skins, grate a little Parmesan cheese over the top and place back under the grill until the filling is heated through and the cheese is bubbling on top.

• Serve right away.