Smoked Salmon + Chive Potato Skins

OVEN - Scrub the potato skins clean, poke a few times with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Rub with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and generously season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Bake for about an hour, rotating a couple of times, or until they’re tender inside when poked with a thin knife.

MICROWAVE - Pierce the potato a few times with a sharp knife or the tines of a fork. Microwave on high in 2 minute intervals, until it’s tender. Then rub all over with 1 teaspoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt, and transfer to the oven to crisp up the skins. Roast at 400 for about 10 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.

Let the potatoes cool enough to handle. Cut in ½ horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, leaving about a ¼” of potato on the skin. Add about ½ of the potato insides to a bowl and set aside.

Reserve the remaining scooped potatoes for another use (See Culinary Skills below).

Brush another Tablespoon of olive oil all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking rack in a heavy pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp, use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can take the heat). Cook for 5 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven.

Mash the reserved potato insides with 2 Tablespoons of the sour cream and a pinch of salt. Chop the chives and add about 2/3 of them to the mash.

Dollop evenly back into the shells; it looks pretty to make one big scoop off to one side.

Add the cheese and bake again for 2 - 4 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven.

Garnish with dollops of the remaining sour cream, swirls of smoked salmon, the remaining chives, and sesame seeds.

Toss lettuce with salad dressing and serve on the side.