The Famed Pizza Potatoes

This recipe is thanks to my mom. I have no idea where she found it but ever since I was a little kid it was a treat. This also makes a GREAT recipe for camping, since it is kind of like a fancy version of hash. It is also a riff on a twice baked potato. And well I already know the girls from school love them just as much. So here it goes:

Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
3 russet (the big brown ones) potatoes
1 lb uncooked Italian sausage
3-4 tablespoons of tomato paste
1/2 cup of milk
red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and oregano to taste
1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

First use the microwave to bake your potatoes as it saves time. Wash your potatoes and then pierce them with a fork about 5-10 times all over. Place them in a bowl and press the baked potato button on the microwave and then the amount of potatoes. Or just cook the potatoes in the microwave for about 8 minutes to start. The potatoes are considered "baked" when they are soft to the touch. Don't actually touch them since they will be hot, but push down on the skin with a fork. If it doesn't budge microwave the potatoes longer. If the potato is kind of squishy then they are done. Put them to the side and let them cool a little bit.



In the mean time, preheat the oven to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Then squeeze your sausage out of the casing and into the pan. Use the spoon to break up the sausage into smaller pieces. As the sausage cooks slice your potatoes in half length-wise. Then begin to scoop out the potato trying not to break the skin. You will end up with potato on a plate/in a bowl, and then halves of potato skins with about 1/4 inch of potato left on them. Arrange the potato skins in a 13X9 inch baking pan



Once the sausage is cooked add the scooped out potato to the pan. Then add the tomato paste, milk and 2/3 cup of mozzarella. Stir until everything is slightly red and then season to your taste with the seasonings I listed. Then scoop the potato mixture back into the potatoes skins, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top including the Parmesan cheese. Place the potato in the oven and bake for 5 minutes so the cheese melts.


Once the cheese is starting to brown take the potatoes out and serve.



Oh and Lien you can make these too if they sound good. All you need to do is follow the recipe up to the baking part. You don't have to bake them because everything is cooked already by the time you put them in the oven. So you can just sprinkle more cheese on top and eat it like fancy mashed potatoes, or you could put it back in the potato skins and then sprinkle some cheese on top and zap it in the microwave for like 30 seconds to a minute to melt the cheese. Then it will be just the same. :D