• Wash the potatoes thoroughly. Use a food brush to remove any dirt.

• Place 2 chopsticks on a chopping board, alongside a potato.  Make several cuts into the potato – like if you wanted to slice it thinly, almost to the bottom (the chopsticks will prevent you from cutting all the way through).

• Transfer them (the cut side up) onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, paprika and garlic powder. Brush each potato with this mixture and season with salt and pepper.

• Bake in a preheated oven at 400F for 55 minutes. The potatoes should be almost cooked at this stage. Take the tray out and fill the gaps with cheese and bacon slices. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is done.

• When ready, take them out and top with more cheese, fried bacon (optional) , sour cream and parsley.

• Serve right away as a starter or side.

NOTES

• Use small to medium potatoes rather than large. If you decide to go for large, then you will only need about 4 of them instead of 8. They need to be washed well because you will keep their skin on.

• The best potato to use in this recipe is a Russet potato, but if you find that to hard to cut you can use a Yukon gold potato which is waxier and easier to slice.

• Make several slits into each potato. Make sure you don’t cut all the way through. We need the bottom part to hold everything together. Chopsticks or wooden spoons can be used as a knife “stopper” when slicing. This is called the “hasselback techinique”.

• Line your tray with a sheet of baking parchment. It just makes life easier as all the juices stay on the paper.

Recipe and image courtesy of Julie's Eats and Treats