Makes 16 Large or 32 Small Potato Skins
Get ready for Kickoff with two varieties of my delicious potato skins, Chilli and Cheese and Bacon and Blue Cheese, two fun twists on the classic appetizer.

Follow along with Jill. Click here to watch a Make Ahead Meals web segment for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 8 large or 16 small russet potatoes, washed
• 7 slices of bacon
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 cups mascarpone
• 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
• 2 cups chili, canned
• 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup Sour cream
• 1/4 cup Chives

Directions

1. Pre heat your oven to 375°.
2. Pierce potatoes with a fork and bake on a baking sheet for 1-1 1/2 hours or until easily pierced with a fork.
3. Remove from the oven and set- aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Lay bacon strips on a baking sheet lined with Sil Pat or parchment paper.
5. Mix together brown sugar and cayenne.
6. Sprinkle brown sugar over bacon.
7. Bake for 12-16 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and set-aside.
8. Once the potatoes have cooled, slice each one in half length-wise.
9. With a spoon scoop out most of the inside, leaving a 1/4inch rim left with the skin, reserve the scooped out potato for later mashed potatoes.
10. Remove from the oven and fill each one with 1 Tablespoon mascarpone (1 1/2 tablespoons for large potatoes).
11. Top half of them evenly with blue cheese and cut up the bacon and crumble the cooked bacon over the blue cheese.
12. Evenly fill the remaining potatoes with the chili and top with cheddar cheese.
13. Place filled potatoes back in the 375° oven and allow the cheese to melt, about 5-7 minutes.
14. Remove from the oven top both with scallions and the chili ones with sour cream.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon thyme, dried
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1, 10.5 oz can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
• 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 6 dashes Tabasco
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, medium dice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 large or 1 1/2 cups chicken breast, 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 1/2 cups pasta such as pipe pigate or penne
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Put a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, In a large bowl mix together celery salt, thyme, cheddar cheese, crème of mushroom soup, lemon juice, sour cream, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Set-aside.
3. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until very aldente about 2 minutes less than the box says.
4. While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, peas and corn to the hot pan and allow the veggies to sweat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add vegetables to the cheese mixture and stir.
6. In the same pan the veggies were cooked in, cook the chicken over medium-high for about 5-7 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally.
7. Add chicken to the cheese and veggie mixture. Stir. When the pasta is done, drain and mix well with the chicken and cheese mixture.
8. Pour casserole into a 9in x12in baking dish.
9. Sprinkle evenly with parmesan cheese.
10. Broil in your oven for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned.