Twice Baked Potato

While trying to eat well, I don't want to abandon all of the tasty foods I have enjoyed for so long. Therefore I will try to take some of my favorite fattening foods and give them a makeover, keeping the tasty side but changing the ingredients and preparation. When an attempt is successful, I will share the results.

Here is the first contestant: potato skins. Next to Buffalo wings, my favorite junky snack is potato skins- deep fried with bacon and cheese, then used to scoop up sour cream. My lips are smacking and drool is dripping!


These potato skins are delicious, don't get me wrong. What about the nutritional value of them, though? One serving has 250 calories, 17 g of fat, and 510 mg sodium, without the sour cream!

Here is my alternative which can be enjoyed as a meal, not just a snack: the twice baked potato. One serving, which I am saying is 1/2 of a potato (or one side stuffed), has 275 calories, 11 g fat, and 239 mg sodium. Okay, so the makeover recipe doesn't have fewer calories per serving, but the serving of twice baked potato is larger than the skins. A yumilicious alternative to the fried potato skins. I calculated the nutritional value by looking up the ingredients in the recipe and calculating the total, so the calories may be even fewer!

Twice Baked Potato Recipe
Ingredients
2 large baking potatoes
salt
1 c low fat plain yogurt
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Rinse potatoes and scrub to clean.


2. Place potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.


3. Bake potatoes in 400 degree oven for 1 hr. Cool for about 15 minutes.

4. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the inside flesh of the potatoes. Place potato flesh in large bowl.


5. Add yogurt and butter to potato flesh. Mash together and stir.


6. Spoon potato mixture into skins, distributing evenly. Sprinkle tops of stuffed potatoes with cheese.


7. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Enjoy with a dollop more of yogurt.


I was a skeptic about using plain yogurt to replace sour cream, but it really tastes great. My younger children, who are extremely picky about what they eat, could not tell the difference when it was mixed into the potatoes or served on top of them.

You could decrease the fat and calories more by omitting the butter and using nonfat yogurt too. I also added more flavor and virtually no calories by scattering a few fresh chives over my potato.

This was such a satisfying and flavorful dinner. Try it and let me know what you think.