BEER CHEESE POTATO SKINS

BEER CHEESE POTATO SKINS image

Yield 24 pieces, serves 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 16

Potato ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
12 small red skinned potatoes, cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
Beer Cheese Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salted butter
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 (8 oz) bottle of favorite lager beer, room temperature
1 cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock (to thin out sauce if needed)
Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Slice a thin piece off the rounded part of each half of potato so they will sit on a flat surface without rolling. In a large bowl, toss the oil and garlic with the potatoes until well coated. Season with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when a knife is inserted into the thickest part. Prepare the cheese sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Sweat the onions and garlic in the butter. Increase the heat to medium and add the flour to make a roux. Stir vigorously with a whisk to distribute the flour in the butter mixture and continue to cook for one minute. Add half of the bottle of beer and whisk the mixture until smooth. Add the remaining beer, whisk to incorporate and allow to come to a boil. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. The sauce should be the consistency of sour cream. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in small amounts of chicken broth until you reach the desired consistency. If it is too thin, add 1/2 cup grated cheddar. Digging in from the larger cut side, carefully scoop out approximately 1-2 teaspoons out of each potato and replace with the cheese mixture. Top with sour cream, crispy bacon and chopped chives or green onion.