Friday's-Style Potato Skins

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake the potatoes whole for about 1 hour, until tender when pierced with a fork.

While potatoes bake, mix sour cream and chives in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cook bacon until crispy (microwave, oven, or stovetop — whatever's easiest). Crumble and set aside.

Let potatoes cool until you can handle them comfortably. Cut each potato lengthwise into 3 slices, keeping the two end pieces and discarding (or saving) the middle slice. (Save those middle slices for mashed potatoes tomorrow — waste not, want not.)

Using a spoon, scoop out most of the flesh from each skin, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato attached. You want a sturdy shell that won't fall apart.

Brush both sides of each potato skin with melted butter. Place cut-side up on a baking sheet.

Switch oven to broil. Broil skins for 6-8 minutes until edges start browning and look crispy.

Fill each skin with 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheese, then top with crumbled bacon.

Broil 2 more minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately with the chive sour cream on the side.