Triple Tater Cowboys

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I am getting overwhelmed and overfed fixing (and eating) potato skins. It is just my husband and I, a huge bag of small potatoes and a refrigerator full of ingredients.

Athens Texas is generally credited with inventing the hamburger in 1880, so I thought a hamburger on a potato would be awesome. They are also very big into BBQ brisket, and that would be awesome on a potato as well. However, I couldn’t resist doing Texas chili (no beans) and Longhorn Cheddar. YUM!!!

The thing with the potatoes is that they can be very easy, tasty, and versatile. You can steam them, then cool, slice in half and carve out the middle, or roast, cool and carve out the middle. You can coat with oil and then roast again to make them crispier and brown, melt cheese in them, then fill and roast again, or serve cold. They are all really really delicious. The beauty is that you have small bites, not big wedges of potato, you can usually eat them by hand, and have the deliciousness with room for other tailgating/tv-watching treats. AND…they are (mostly) healthy!!!

I couldn’t figure out what to make. Hamburger, brisket, or chili. We ended up with potato pictures of chili, as they were the most photogenic! How many mini potato recipes can I do in one afternoon……….

All three of these are best hot, so may be more difficult if taking to a game.

Texas chili, Longhorn cheese

These are also best if you roast the potatoes first. Lightly rub oil on potato, roast for about 15 minutes at 400°F depending on size. Cool overnight, or 24 hrs or more, then cut in half, hollow out, and roast again at 450°F until browning. Fill with some Longhorn Cheese, or sharp cheddar, return to oven and melt. Remove, and fill with favorite chili (no beans for Texans) that has been heated a bit, and top with more cheese. Return to oven to melt cheese. Serve immediately. SO GOOD!!! I mean, who wants to eat a whole potato when there are probably other things to eat on the snack table. Sample them all!! Or, just eat a lot of potatoes.

If you would rather, just fill cold potato skins (steamed or roasted) with chili and cheese. Much simpler, and still delicious.

Hamburger

I found this difficult to present beautifully, but they were great. Do as above to prepare potatoes. l put some cheese in, melt, then add a mini hamburger patty (already cooked) mustard, ketchup, and a sprinkle of bacon chips. It gets very high very quickly, but add whatever hamburger topping you want. You can even make it a hamburger, with a potato on top and bottom…..GF anyone??

BBQ brisket

Prepare brisket, Texan style, or use leftover, or even (gasp) store bought brisket. Use favorite BBQ sauce (bottled or home made) and maybe some good slaw on top. Delicious….messy, not photogenic, but awesome. This works great when you have a brisket already cooked with sauce. Game day should not find you in the kitchen, but this can be a simple and deliciously themed Tater Skin treat with out much work.

So, you can see why I did the chili potato for the picture. They are all delicious, but difficult to photograph. Even the chili one, as the cheese kept sliding off. I love chili on potatoes! You can add chives and even some sour cream. Delicious.