Tasso & Baked Potato Appetizers

Tasso & Baked Potato Appetizers 

by Amy Klein

adapted from The Official Home of the Idaho Potato

6 small baking potatoes (I used Idaho golden potatoes, but you can use any kind you like)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

enough vegetable oil to fill a heavy large pot 2/3 the way to the top

potato skins
1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 green onion, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon green onions or chives, finely chopped (for garnish)

12 slices Teet's Smoked Pure Pork Tasso, thinly sliced, almost the length of the potatoes and about half the width

Toss the potatoes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out the insides of the potatoes, leaving about 1/8  inch of the potato on the skin. Set aside as you heat up the vegetable oil in your pot to 350 degrees. Fry the potato skins, in batches if needed,  until golden brown; about 8-10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Mix together the sour cream and green onion and set aside. Place the fried potatoes on a shallow baking dish, cut side up. Top each with a slice of tasso and heat up in a 350 degree oven until the potatoes and tasso are heated through, about 15 minutes. Transfer the heated potatoes onto a serving plate and top each with a dollop of the sour cream mixture, then garnish with a bit of the extra chopped green onion or  chives. Serve hot.